


The Curse of Being a Seer

by RosaPeach



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hogwarts Mystery
Genre: Alternate take on Year 5, Curse Breaking, Cursed Vaults (Harry Potter), Divination, F/F, F/M, Female Reader, Gen, Manipulated Jacob, Seer Reader - Freeform, Video Game: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Visions, Year 5, scared reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-25 18:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17730179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosaPeach/pseuds/RosaPeach
Summary: The visions you got when you were looking for the Cursed Vaults weren’t a one time only thing. No, you have been dealing with visions as long as you can remember. Thanks to your parents, you saw the visions as rubbish, believing they were just silly dreams. You used to see things that weren't very meaningful, so you decided to ignore them. Although, it is hard to see the visions as rubbish when bad things are happening to the people around you. Especially when you realised you could have done something to save Beatrice Haywood…





	1. Reunited with Jacob

**Author's Note:**

> Y/N = Your name  
> Y/L/N = Your Last Name

If there was something that was happening to you lately, then you would say you are seeing visions more often. You didn't just see visions about the Cursed Vaults or Jacob, also other visions could be seen. These other kinds of visions surprised you more than you liked to admit, not knowing when they would happen. It would catch you off guard most of the time. People around you thought you were daydreaming, but you knew that wasn’t the case. The visions would often wake you up in the middle of the night, showing you horrible things that were going to happen. You often recognized places and the people were familiar whenever you had a vision.

More students were getting stuck into paintings and you sometimes saw it happening before it had actually happened. You didn’t know what you should do. Should you inform someone about this ability or keep it to yourself? Who would believe you when you say you had foreseen Beatrice getting stuck in a painting. You didn’t know who did it, but you had seen her get stuck before it actually happened. Maybe if you talked about it, you could have done something. However, who would believe you about this?

 

“ _Y/N Y/L/N_ , are you all right?”

You slowly looked towards Tulip. That’s right, you had your Defence Against the Dark Arts class now. Spacing out during class seemed to happen a lot more often and you knew that wasn’t a good thing. “I’m fine, Tulip.” You quickly told her.

“Miss _Y/L/N_ , may I have word with you after class?” Professor Rakepick said when she passed you.

“Yes, professor.” You said. You could tell Rakepick was suspecting something. The look she gave me was giving that away.

“I wonder what Rakepick wants from you.” Tulip said. “I know she chose you, Merula and Bill as her Apprentice Curse-Breakers, but it doesn’t seem like she is asking Merula to stay after class as well.”

“Beats me, I guess I will just have to find out after class.” You said, yawning softly.

“Seriously _Y/N Y/L/N_ , are you sure you are okay? You have been acting strange lately.”

“It’s nothing Tulip.” You snapped.

Tulip looked taken aback by you.

You ran a hand through your hair. “Really, nothing is wrong.” You said, sounding calmer.

 

“Sounds to me like you are slowly losing your mind, _Y/L/N_.”

You gave Merula a look. Of course, that was a typical thing she would say. Although, she was getting less on your nerves lately. Sometimes she is nice to you, which still surprises you. Maybe it had to do with the deal you made when you, Merula and Bill became Rakepick’s apprentice Curse-Breakers. “Very funny, Snyde. Definitely something I don’t hear often.” You muttered, rolling your eyes.

“Look, _Y/L/N_. We are supposed to keep each other informed about the Cursed Vaults.” Merula pointed out.

“If _Y/N Y/L/N_ doesn’t want to talk to you about it, she doesn’t have to Merula.” Tulip said, looking slightly annoyed.

“Stay out of this, Karasu.” Merula hissed.

“You were the one who butted in on our conversation, Snyde.” Tulip said, frowning a bit.

 

You were about to tell them to shut up when you suddenly froze.

Another vision was happening. You could see you were in the Forbidden Forest. Someone was wearing a black cloak, hiding their face from you. It was like the person was standing right there in front of you. Did this mean the vision was about you?

 _“Your eyes are valuable, Y/N. They are testing your abilities by doing bad things to the people around you.”_ The guy said. said. “ _You were probably aware of seeing me here today_.”

“ _Why are you warning me about this, Jacob_?” You heard yourself say. _Jacob_? The guy under the cloak is Jacob?

“ _Because they want you as their personal seer. You have the ability to see bad situations happening in the future, something they want in order to succeed._ ”

“ _Then why did I see you in my vision?_ ”

“ _You see, I’m not the same person anymore, Y/N_.” He said, raising his wand at you. “ _It might take a while before they will find you again after this. Don’t go looking for me.”_

“Miss _Y/L/N_.”

You shook your head a bit and blinked when you saw Rakepick standing in front of you. “Yes, professor?”

Rakepick narrowed her eyes at you, probably wondering what is going on. She looked at the other students who were in the classroom. “Class is dismissed.”

Most students seemed to be leaving, except for your friends and Merula.

“I said ‘ _class dismissed_ ’, I need to talk with miss _Y/L/N_ alone.” Rakepick said.

“But Professor-”

“No, Miss Khanna.” Rakepick said.

Your friends and Merula slowly seemed to be leaving the class and you were left alone with Rakepick

 

“Good. Miss _Y/L/N_ , I thought this would be a good moment to talk to you.” Rakepick told you. “I have noticed you haven’t been as attentive as you normally are… You seem to space out a lot and you seem to be tired.” She pointed out. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“I just haven’t been able to sleep well, that’s all…” You lied. Sure, you have been awake because of your visions, but it wasn’t the only reason.

“Miss _Y/L/N_ , maybe you could fool Professor Kettleburn with that excuse, but you definitely can’t fool me.” Rakepick gave you a serious look. “What is the real reason? If you were just daydreaming you would have responded to me when I placed a hand on your shoulder.”

You knew Rakepick wouldn’t let you go before she had an answer. You knew you would have to tell her the truth. “I had a vision.”

“A vision? About what?”

“About Jacob.”

“And how often do you have these visions?”

“Quite often lately.” You said honestly.

“And they are all about Jacob?”

“They used to be only about Jacob in the past I think…? At least most of them.”

“In the past? You mean you have had vision before this year started?”

“I think I have had visions as long as I can remember, they just weren’t really strong.”

 

“Who knows about this ability of yours, Miss _Y/L/N_?” Rakepick asked.

“Jacob knows… I think some of my friends are aware of it, like Rowan.” You told her.

“Did you have any visions about the students who got stuck in paintings?”

“…Yes.” You looked away when you admitted it. “I saw Beatrice Haywood in a vision.” You frowned. “I thought it was just a nightmare, but before I knew it we found her there in the painting…”

“Did you see more students in your visions?”

“Yes…”

“And you didn’t want to mention it, because…?”

“Because people won’t believe me when I tell them such things.” You muttered, looking away. “Look, I have never asked for this ability and I’d rather don’t have it all.”

“Being a Seer has its advantages and disadvantages.”

“I’m not a Seer.”

“There is enough evidence you are one, Miss _Y/L/N_. I think even your Headmaster knows about this.”

“Try growing up with people who think Divination is _rubbish_.” You muttered.

 

“Ah yes, I have heard quite some things about your parents. They work at the Ministry of Magic, right?” Rakepick said.

“Yes…” You muttered.

“They seemed to be very unhappy with the fact both you and Jacob are rule-breakers in school. Very traditional people they are.”

“They are very… _organised_.”

“You are not so fond of your family, are you?”

“As harsh as it seems, I don’t see them as a family. My family only cares about their image. Jacob and I have rebelled a few times and it didn’t work out.” You mumbled. “I see my friends more like family.”

“I can imagine.” She said and then she sighed. “Let’s talk a bit more about those visions of yours, all right? They might be helpful for your search for your brother and the Cursed Vaults.”

 

* * *

 

 

“What do you think Professor Rakepick is talking about with _Y/N_?” Rowan asked.

“Obviously, they are talking about _Y/L/N_ ’s even more unusual behaviour.” Merula said.

“I don’t know why you are even waiting out here, Snyde… If you are just here to insult _Y/N Y/L/N_ , you should just leave.” Tulip said, glaring at Merula.

“I have every right to be here, Karasu.” Merula muttered. “Besides, I can’t help it but to be concerned about her as well.”

“You are concerned about _Y/N_?” Penny asked, looking surprised.

“You better don’t tell her that.” Merula hissed.

“Hey Rowan, did you notice other unusual things about _Y/N_?” Charlie asked.

“Well, you know she has been quite busy with her Prefect duties, her homework, her search for the Cursed Vaults, and she has been in detention a lot.”

“She seemed to be exhausted. Her duelling is a little off as well.” Barnaby pointed out.

“She seems to be avoiding me outside the classroom…” Penny said, looking down a bit.

“Also, she is moody and not up for any pranks.” Tonks said, shaking her head a bit.

“What about the fact she nearly fell off her broom during Flying Class this week?” Andre pointed out.

Charlie grimaced. “That was pretty dangerous…”

“Last week she nearly got burnt during our Care of Magical Creatures class.” Liz said. “She was very distracted by something.”

 

“Did you see anything unusual, Ben?” Charlie asked, noticing Ben hadn’t said anything yet.

Ben blinked when everyone was looking at him. “Well… I saw her leaving the Owlery in anger.”

“In anger?” Rowan asked.

“What was she doing in the Owlery?” Andre asked.

“Well… She ripped a letter there. I think it might have been one she received from her parents.” Ben said softly.

“How do you know it was from her parents?” Rowan asked, narrowing her eyes a little.

“She muttered something and I heard her say father and mother.” Ben said honestly.

“Why would she rip a letter she received from her parents?” Charlie asked.

“ _Y/N_ doesn’t have a good relationship with her parents.” Barnaby said.

Everyone looked at Barnaby surprised.

“What? She told me that once when we were drinking Butterbeer in the Three Broom Sticks.” Barnaby said. “You guys didn’t know?”

“She refuses to talk about her parents, so I thought that might have been the case… She just never told me about that though.” Rowan said.

“Actually, I don’t know a lot about _Y/N_ ’s family besides Jacob…” Penny admitted.

“ _Y/L/N_ ’s parents work in the Ministry, I heard they are pretty strict.” Merula said seriously. “Before you ask, I did a little research about _Y/L/N_ after the whole Rita Skeeter thing.” She muttered, rolling her eyes a bit.

“I think my parents mentioned them once.” Tulip said.

 

Suddenly the door opened and Rakepick and you walked out of the classroom. Everyone was staring at you.

“What?” You asked, raising your eyebrow.

Rakepick shook her head. “Come, Miss _Y/L/N_.” She said, leading you away from your friends and Merula.

“Where do you think Rakepick is taking her to?” Ben asked.

“I have no clue…” Rowan said, frowning a little.

“Whatever is going to happen might not be good.” Tulip muttered.

 

* * *

 

_“I got a letter from my parents yesterday.” Barnaby said before taking a sip from his butterbeer._

_Barnaby and you decided to grab a butterbeer together after a duel. You actually lost to him, but it was a really close call. You knew Barnaby was getting better at duelling and it was hard to keep up with him when you were so busy with other stuff._

_“Was it a nice letter?” You asked him._

_“Well, I think it is always nice to hear from them when they are so far away from home.” He admitted._

_“I guess that makes sense.” You said, giving him a small smile._

_“That makes me wonder, how is your relationship with your parents?”_

_“You honestly want to know?” You asked, raising an eyebrow._

_“It’s just that I never hear you talk about your parents.” Barnaby pointed out._

_“Well, since you have told me about your parents, I guess it would only be fair if I told you about mine at least once.” You said with a sigh._

_“You don’t really seem to be okay with it.”_

_You gave him a small smile again. “My parents and I don’t get along at all. They didn’t get along with Jacob and I ever since we were small.” You said honestly. “There isn’t really a relationship between my parents and I.” You summarised._

_“Is it that bad?”_

_“It is pretty bad, but nothing I can’t handle. I just have to get out of there once I’m old enough.” You said with a shrug. “I’m just glad to be at Hogwarts the majority of the time.”_

 

* * *

 

_“Y/N, you should step away from the Fire Crab, if you don’t want to get burnt.” Liz said when she approached you._

_You shook your head and jumped back. That was indeed a close call. “Thanks for warning me, Liz.”_

_“No problem. You seemed to be a little distracted, so I thought it would be a good thing to help you out.”_

_“Yeah, I was pretty distracted I think…”_

_“Try to stay focused.” Liz said with a smile. “If you are not feeling too well, I guess I could help you out this lesson. Keeping you focused on the task.”_

_“That would be great, Liz.”_

 

* * *

 

 

_“Woah! Y/N!” Andre shouted when you nearly fell off your broom because of a vision._

_Charlie had flown beside you and steadied you. “Are you all right, Y/N?” He asked._

_You blinked a bit and then you gave them a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I lost my focus for a moment.” You said when you slowly landed on the ground again._

_Charlie and Andre landed beside you and looked concerned._

_“You could have got seriously hurt, Y/N.” Andre said honestly._

_“You were pretty high up after all.” Charlie said._

_“I know, it’s just that I haven’t slept really well last night. I’m sorry for scaring you two.” You said._

 

* * *

 

_Ben was about to send a letter to his parents and went to the Owlery. He blinked when he heard someone letting out a cry of frustration. He peeked into the Owlery and saw you standing there._

_“Thanks for being so bloody supportive, father and mother….” You muttered while ripping the letter in pieces. “I swear… As if I don’t have enough to deal with…” You muttered to yourself. Once you were done you stormed out of the Owlery, not even seeing Ben when you passed him._

_Ben hesitated if he should say something to you, but seeing you so angry let him know you weren’t up for any conversations now._

 

* * *

 

“What you are telling me, is that you have foreseen the students getting trapped in paintings?”

You were in Dumbledore’s office with Madam Rakepick. She helped you with explaining the situation. The ability was quite useful in her eyes, but since you are an underage witch she can’t just decide things for you.

“Yes, I have foreseen it happening sometimes. I don’t know how it happened, but I have seen them in the paintings.” You said honestly.

“If I may, Headmaster, I would like to make a deal with miss _Y/L/N_ to tell me about her visions so we can figure out how to prevent it from happening again.” Madam Rakepick said.

“That would be a good idea indeed.” Dumbledore said. “However, this doesn’t mean I want miss _Y/L/N_ to break the rules again…” He said seriously.

“But Professor…” You spoke up, wondering if you should tell him about Jacob. “… Never mind.” You mumbled, looking away.

“If there is something else you need to tell me, you may tell me.” He said.

 

 

You hesitated for a moment. “It’s about Jacob.” You began. “The vision I had in class wasn’t about a student getting stuck in a painting. It was about Jacob.”

“What was it about?” Dumbledore asked.

“He was there in the Forbidden Forest, talking to me. He said my eyes were valuable and that people were testing my abilities.”

Dumbledore frowned a little. “Go on…”

“He said something about them wanting me to become their personal Seer, in order to succeed. Also, as much as I don’t like the thought, Jacob doesn’t seem like himself anymore… I’m not sure if he can be trusted at this point.”

“That could mean the students who are trapped inside the paintings aren’t a part of the new curse that was released by the Cursed Vaults.” Madam Rakepick said. “Although, these people might be after the Cursed Vaults.”

“That is a good point, Madam Rakepick.” He said.

“Perhaps it would be a good idea miss _Y/L/N_ actually follows through with that vision. Of course, these visions aren’t set in stone if she can change the situation herself, but I think it would be a good idea if miss _Y/L/N_ meets Jacob _Y/L/N_ in the Forbidden Forest.” She said.

 

 

“You want me to meet up with Jacob?” You asked, confused why Madam Rakepick wanted you to meet Jacob in the Forbidden Forest.

“Why do you want that, Madam Rakepick? You must have an idea if you want that vision to happen.” Dumbledore asked.

“You see, it might give us more information about who are trying to hinder anyone who is directly and indirectly involved with the Cursed Vaults. Perhaps Jacob _Y/L/N_ could tell us a lot more.” Madam Rakepick explained.

“It’s an unusual request. However, I agree it might give us more information about the things that are happening in Hogwarts lately.” He said. “I also think it is about time we learn the truth about Jacob _Y/L/N_ ’s disappearance.”

“So, you both want me to go into the Forbidden Forest when he is there?” You asked, wondering if you heard them correctly.

“Don’t worry, miss _Y/L/N_ , I will be somewhere close when it happens. Although, you probably don’t even notice me when my help isn’t needed.” She said with a smile.

“What do you say about it, miss _Y/L/N_? Do you want to do this?” Dumbledore asked.

 

* * *

 

 

You wondered if the world around you became mad. Nobody seemed to make sense at the moment. You didn’t understand why Dumbledore suddenly wanted you to go into the Forbidden Forest to meet Jacob, even though you told him you weren’t sure if you could trust Jacob. You also were told you would have less detention during the year. It would give you an opportunity to rest a little more, which was something you needed. It didn’t mean you wouldn’t have detention anymore.

You weren’t allowed to talk about your plans in the Forbidden Forest. Rakepick ordered you not to tell Merula and Bill either. She said it was for your own good. It wasn’t like you were planning to tell them, after all, you didn’t want to talk about your visions. It wasn’t an ability you wanted to have. You didn’t want to foresee things happening to other people. Your parents made it clear the ability was just rubbish.

‘ _You probably just dreamt it, Y/N_.’ ‘ _That is called coincidence_.’

You could already see the look on your parents face when they figure out you still deal with those ‘ _visions’_ of yours. They probably would be disgusted when they find out your teachers encouraged you to tell them about it.

 

“ _Y/N_ …”

You stopped walking, seeing Penny was standing there in front of you. If there was someone you were avoiding lately, it was definitely Penny. It wasn't because you didn’t like being around her, you just felt guilty about what happened to Beatrice. If you didn’t make yourself believe the vision was just a nightmare, you might have prevented it from happening.

“ _Y/N_ , what is going on? Everyone is worried about you… You are acting differently lately. I… I just want to know how you are doing.” She said.

You gave Penny a small smile. “It’s nothing, Penny.” You told her and you were about to walk off again.

Penny grabbed your hand, preventing you from walking away. You looked at her and noticed she was crying. “Stop lying to me!” She said seriously. “I want to know the truth! Why are you keeping everyone in the dark? We are your friends!”

“You don’t want to hear the truth, believe me… The truth is very ugly… It’s better if you don’t get involved.” You said seriously, looking down at your feet.

“But why?” She asked. “Why can’t you tell us what is going on.”

“Because it’s too dangerous.” You said honestly, pulling your hand away. “I can’t talk about it, I’m sorry.” You quickly walked away from her.

No, you couldn’t tell her. Especially not about tonight. You knew it was the night you would meet Jacob in the Forbidden Forest.

 

* * *

 

Bill blinked when he saw everyone, except you, comforting Penny in the Great Hall. She was sobbing softly. Tonks had wrapped an arm around her, Liz rubbed her back gently and the others were trying to talk with Penny.

“What is going on?” Bill asked.

“Penny decided to ask _Y/N_ about why she is acting differently.” Tulip said.

“And apparently, _Y/N_  told Penny it was better if she didn’t know the truth.” Andre continued.

“S…she said it would be too dangerous….” Penny said softly.

“I don’t know what _Y/N_ is planning, but it doesn’t sound too good…” Charlie said, frowning a little.

“I didn’t know it was this bad… I mean, I noticed _Y/N_ was acting differently, but it sounds like she is up to no good.” Bill said, wondering what could be going on.

“She did have a long conversation with Professor Rakepick and Dumbledore.” Ben said honestly.

“Wait, did you say she went to Dumbledore?” Charlie asked.

“Well, I saw her walking out of his office with Professor Rakepick. She seemed to be troubled by something.” Ben continued.

 

 

“How about we spy on _Y/N_?” Tulip suggested.

“What?” Everyone said.

“We all want to know what is going on with _Y/N_ , right? She is definitely dealing with something and she is refusing our help for a reason… We just have to figure out what is going on.” Tulip explained.

“As much as I don’t like the idea of spying on one of my best friends, I think it is the best option we have.” Rowan said honestly.

“If we can help _Y/N_ with it, I suppose I’m in.” Andre said.

“Count me in as well.” Tonks said.

The rest also agreed to spy on you to figure out what is going on.

 

 

“Definitely a good idea, Karasu.”

Tulip frowned and shot a look to Merula, who walked up to the group. “What do you want, Snyde?”

“I want to join your little activity. Rakepick wouldn’t tell me anything about it when I asked her.” Merula said, rolling her eyes.

“Why should we let _you_ join?” Tonks asked.

“To help _Y/N_ out. I have to work with her and the oldest Weasley, remember?”

Tulip sighed. “What do you think, Bill? Can she be trusted?”

“So far she hasn’t done anything bad to _Y/N_ whenever we had to work together.” Bill said honestly.

“I guess that means you can join us.” Tulip muttered. “I will keep a close eye on you though.”

“Don’t worry, Karasu. I won’t betray you.” Merula said, making Tulip grimace.

 

* * *

 

The gang and Merula were pretty good at spying on you. At least, they thought they were doing a good job. Rowan had woken everyone up when you had left the common room. They were all in time to follow you before you would be out of their sight. It didn’t take too long before they realised where you were headed to.

“Really? She is going to the Forbidden Forest on her own?” Charlie muttered to the others.

“Is that really a surprise? I thought she went to the Forbidden Forest alone multiple times.” Merula mumbled back.

“No, she never went alone. At least, I think she never went alone.” Charlie said.

“I’m not so sure about that, Charlie.” Rowan said honestly.

“What make you think so?” Charlie asked.

“Well, _Y/N_ has snuck out of the castle more times than you think.” Rowan answered softly.

“Can you please be quiet, Charlie? We have to focus.” Tulip muttered. “We can’t let _Y/N_ out of our sight.”

 

 

They blinked when you suddenly grabbed your wand, pointing it to a certain direction. They were worried you had seen them, but you weren’t pointing it to their direction.

“I know you are there.” You said seriously, still pointing your wand at the same direction.

They could hear someone chuckle. “I can’t fool you, can I?” The voice said.

“It would have been easier to fool me if I didn’t know I was going to meet you here.” You said honestly.

“You have a good point, _Y/N_.”

 

“Does she know this guy?” Barnaby asked, wondering who was under the black cloak.

“Apparently… I don’t have a good feeling about this…” Rowan said.

“Do you think _Y/N_ has gone bad…?” Penny asked, looking concerned.

 

“Jacob, instead of wasting time, how about you tell me what you are doing here?” You asked.

 

“Jacob? The cloaked guy is Jacob?” Charlie said.

“Shh!” Tulip quickly shushed Charlie, wanting to hear what was going on.

 

“You have become quite serious, _Y/N_. Then again, I can’t blame you for that. The way we were raised didn’t allow us to fool around after all. Or is it the fact you haven’t slept well in a long time?”

“It beats me, could be a combination of both.” You said, rolling your eyes.

 

 

“Very well, let’s get to business.” Jacob began. “Your eyes are valuable, _Y/N_. They are testing your abilities by doing bad things to the people around you. You were probably aware of seeing me here today.”

“Why are you warning me about this, Jacob?” You asked, knowing the answer.

“Because they want you as their personal Seer. You have the ability to see bad situations happening in the future, something they want in order to succeed.”

“Then why did I see you in my vision?” You said, not wanting to chance the vision.

“You see, I’m not the same person anymore, _Y/N_.” He said, raising his wand at you. “It might take a while before they will find you again after this. Don’t go looking for me.”

“Let me guess, you are going to use _Petrificus Totalus_ on me? That’s not very creative, Jacob.” You mumbled.

“I have heard stories about that.” Jacob said. “You want me to do something else?”

 

“ _Petrificus Totalus_.”

Suddenly, Jacob was on the ground and Madam Rakepick stepped out of the shadows.

“I guess it has become a family thing now, mister _Y/L/N_.” Rakepick said with a smirk. “Good job distracting him, miss _Y/L/N_.”

“I just did what I had to do.” You said with a shrug. “Who is going to move Jacob back to the castle?”

“I will, with the help of another teacher.” She said. “Also, I think it would be time for the other students to reveal themselves.” She said, looking to the spot where your friends and Merula were hiding.

You raised an eyebrow when they revealed themselves. “What are you guys doing here?”

“They have been following you, miss _Y/L/N_. To be honest, I only noticed them when you arrived here.” She said, giving your friends and Merula a stern look.

“In our defence, we just wanted to know what was going on with _Y/N Y/L/N_.” Tulip said.

 

“You can all explain it during detention with Professor Rakepick tomorrow.” Dumbledore said when he appeared with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape.

“Professor Dumbledore?” Rowan said surprised.

“Minerva, could you escort the students out of the Forbidden Forest?”

“Of course, Albus.” Professor McGonagall said before she looked at your friends and Merula.

“Miss _Y/L/N_ , we still need your assistance here.” Dumbledore said.

 

* * *

 

 

“Have you seen _Y/N_ this morning?” Tulip asked Rowan when everyone was on their way to detention.

“No, I haven’t seen her all day.” Rowan answered with a sigh.

“I can’t believe I thought _Y/N_ became a dark witch for a moment.” Penny mumbled, feeling bad about what happened.

“I think most of us were worried about that for a moment.” Charlie admitted.

“Actually, I was wondering what they are going to with Jacob.” Tulip pointed out.

“They have captured Jacob, so that means they will probably question him.” Andre said.

“What if they contacted the Ministry of Magic?” Bill questioned. “They probably want to know how Jacob got a new wand…”

“Man, this is probably going to suck for _Y/N_.” Charlie mumbled.

“Hey, isn’t that _Y/N_ in front of the Defence of Dark Arts classroom?” Barnaby pointed out.

 

Your friends quickly walked over to you.

“ _Y/N_ , what are you doing here?” Penny asked.

“I wanted to see you all before you have detention.” You told them.

“Look, _Y/N_ … If this about us spying on you… It was my idea. If you are angry about it, you can blame me.” Tulip said.

You shook your head. “It’s not about that. Although, I’m not too happy about you guys spying on me.” You admitted. “Anyways, I wanted to tell you I will be gone the rest of the week.”

“What? Where are you going?” Rowan asked.

“To London. I have to be there during Jacob’s hearing at the Ministry.” You said honestly.

“They are holding a trial against Jacob?” Bill asked.

You nodded. “I have to be present during the trial, since I was involved last night.”

“Who else have to come to the trial?” Rowan asked.

“Madam Rakepick and Dumbledore also have to show up for the trial.” You told them. “They were aware of the situation, because I informed them about Jacob.”

 

“That doesn’t answer all the questions though…” Tulip pointed out.

“Tulip, this might not be the right time…” Penny mumbled.

“No, this needs to be asked.” Tulip said seriously. “What did Jacob mean with ‘ _they wanted to test your abilities_ ’ and ‘ _they want you as their personal Seer_ ’?”

“I think you already figured it out, Tulip.” You said with a small grin.

Most of your friends seemed to be confused and looked at Tulip.

“That means you are a Seer.” Andre pointed out for the others.

You nodded. “An ability I have ignored for quite a while to be honest. I suppose I can explain it to you better once I get back.” You said, looking away a little. “I especially need to explain things to you, Penny.”

“To me?” Penny asked surprised.

“Yeah, I owe it to you.” You said seriously. “Sorry, I have to go now. I promise I will be back before you know it.” You said before you waved goodbye.

 

Before they could even say something, Madam Rakepick opened the door to her classroom.

“Let’s begin, shall we?” Madam Rakepick said.

Your friends took one more glance at you before they entered the classroom for detention. They knew they would probably learn more about it once you came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally posted this fanfiction on Tumblr on the 23rd of September (2018). The story is still on-going and I'm currently writing chapter 9.  
> Once I have reread the parts and correct some small errors, I will post the other parts here as well.


	2. Returning to Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob's trial has ended, meaning you could return to Hogwarts again. Everything should be back to normal now, right? Of course, that was not the case. The students were still trapped inside the paintings and the next vault hasn’t been found yet. Hopefully, you could use your abilities to save the students and break the curse soon. Although, you knew you would have to watch your back even more, because of the people who wanted to have you as their Seer…

‘ ** _JACOB Y/L/N’S FATE IS NOT DECIDED YET_** ’

“Of course, the Daily Prophet is talking about Jacob’s trial.” Bill said when he scanned the Daily Prophet for some news about you and your family.

“They need to sell their newspapers some way, don’t they?” Tulip said, rolling her eyes a little.

“Yeah, by judging people they don’t know personally.” Charlie huffed.

“You all are aware the Daily Prophet is a joke, right?” Tonks said, looking a little bored.

“Parents blame Hogwarts for teaching their children about _myths_ and _rubbish_?” Bill mumbled.

Charlie frowned. “Let me see.” He said when he looked at the Daily Prophet. “Bloody hell, _Y/N_ ’s parents are criticizing Hogwarts a lot.”

“Let me guess, they probably say Hogwarts used to be better when they attended the school.” Tonks mumbled.

“Don’t all parents say those kinds of things?” Tulip pointed out. “I bet my parents would criticize Hogwarts as well.”

“Did they say anything about _Y/N_?” Penny asked, wondering how you were doing in this situation.

“Not much. The usual stuff about the Cursed Vaults is being said and a Skeeter seems to be suspicious about _Y/N_ ’s knowledge of Jacob’s whereabouts suddenly. I bet she just wanted to start a rumour about _Y/N_.” Bill said.

“That woman is just distasteful, we all know that.” Andre said.

 

“Guys! _Y/N_ is coming back today!” Rowan said when ran up to the group.

“Really?” Penny asked with a smile.

“Yeah, I overheard the professors talking about it. Since she is not here yet, I think she will come back this evening.” Rowan said honestly.

“That’s great!” Charlie said with a smile. “I mean, it’s a good thing she doesn’t have to stay in London anymore.”

“I’m pretty sure she is relieved she can come back here.” Penny said.

“Who wouldn’t be relieved to come back here after they have to attend a hearing at the Ministry? I can only imagine how this hearing was like.” Andre grimaced.

“I don’t even want to imagine it. Too awful in my opinion.” Tulip mumbled.

“Maybe we should try to do something fun for _Y/N_. To cheer her up a little.” Rowan suggested.

“That’s a great idea! I’m sure she will appreciate that.” Tonks said.

“How about something we normally do when we are meeting each other to do something fun? Like drinking Butterbeers at The Three Broomsticks?” Tulip said.

“I’m sure _Y/N_ would like that. I’m pretty sure she would like to do something we normally do instead of something unusual after she comes back.” Bill said.

“You've got my point exactly, Bill Weasley.” Tulip said with a grin.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m sorry I’m complaining about my parents to you again, Barnaby.” You mumbled when you walked towards the Great Hall.

“It’s not a problem, _Y/N_. It seemed like you needed to get that off your chest.” Barnaby said honestly.

“It’s just that… People are always saying you should be grateful to have a family, you know? The main problem is that I don’t see my family as a family.” You said with a sigh.

“They don’t seem to be nice people, at least that’s what I think when you describe them.” He patted your shoulder. “You don’t need to bottle your feelings up, because you are afraid to offend me. I know you are careful with mentioning parents around me, but I know you don’t mean any harm with your words. You can talk to me when you need it, all right?”

“Thanks Barnaby.” You gave him a small smile.

“No problem, _Y/N_. That’s what friends are for, right?”

 

“Look who’s back.”

You blinked and noticed Merula approached you. “Oh, hello Merula.” You greeted.

“Hold up… Did you greet me just normally?” Merula raised an eyebrow.

“What? Do you prefer it when I am mean to you?” You said, giving her a look.

“Well, I can’t say I _prefer_ it, although it is kind of normal for us.” She mumbled.

“You have got a point… Although, you haven’t been extremely annoying lately, so I thought I should greet you like I greet most people.” You said with a grin.

“That’s more like it.” Merula smirked.

“Does this mean you two are on good terms?” Barnaby asked.

“Good terms might not be the best way to describe this.” Merula said honestly.

“Just not on bad terms sounds a lot better.” You said, trying to clarify things a little more.

“Well… That’s is an improvement, right?” Barnaby said.

“Yes, Lee… That is an improvement.” Merula muttered.

“Great!” Barnaby said with a smile.

 

“Anyways, what did you want to ask me, Merula?” You asked. “There must be a reason you walked over to me.”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing after the whole ‘ _Jacob fiasco_ ’.” Merula admitted.

“Oh.” You mumbled, surprised she wanted to hear how you were doing. “Well, I could be doing better, but not too bad. I’m just glad to be back here.”

“I can imagine that.” She mumbled. “… If you need some help catching up with Defence against the Dark Arts, you can ask me, all right?”

“Oh, that’s a nice offer of you, Merula.” You were once again surprised.

“Yeah, please don’t mention it… I really mean it when I say don’t mention it when I help you.” She mumbled.

“All right.” You said, not going to ask her reasons.

“I will send you an owl about it later.” She said before she quickly walked away.

 

“That was really nice of Merula.” Barnaby pointed out.

“Yeah, it really was.” You said honestly. “I don’t think she will be happy if we mention that though.”

“You have got a point.” He said honestly.

 

 

You finally arrived in the Great Hall with Barnaby and you noticed people were staring at you when you walked in. You were aware of what kind of rumours might have been spread around the school in your absence. You shook your head slightly, not wanting to think about all those things. You could imagine they were bad and you’d rather be oblivious about it for now.

“ _Y/N_!”

You smiled when Penny ran over to you and pulled you into a hug. You hugged her back. “Hey Penny.”

“We heard you would be coming back today. We didn’t really know when though.” She said and then she gave Barnaby a look. “Wait a moment. Did you know when she was coming back, Barnaby?”

“Why would I keep that from you guys? It was just a coincidence, really.” Barnaby said honestly.

“Yeah, I just happened to see him in the crowd. He seemed to be ready to duel someone.” You explained.

“Only because they were insulting my friends.” He said, almost pouting a bit.

“I think I saved you from detention.” You grinned. “But I respect your loyalty, Barnaby.”

 

“Anyways, I still have to explain things to you, Penny.” You said seriously.

“You don’t have to do that, _Y/N_.” Penny said.

“No, I really owe you an explanation about something.” You told her.

“Well, if you insist…” She said softly.

“Why don’t we go meet the others first?” Barnaby suggested.

“That’s a good idea. I think Rowan would strangle me if I didn’t come to say hello to her and just pop into the dormitory without telling her I'm back.” You joked when you walked with Penny and Barnaby over to your other friends.

You were immediately greeted by the rest and pulled into a group hug.

“It’s good to have you back, _Y/N Y/L/N_. Hogwarts is not the same without you.” Tulip said with a grin.

“Who else would save Tulip and I from detention?” Tonks joked.

“You two are in a group with two prefects and a Head Boy.” Andre pointed out.

“Charlie and Bill haven’t stopped us before.” Tonks said.

 “To be honest, I have never come across them when they were pulling a prank on someone.” Bill said.

“I might have looked away once.” Charlie admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

“Really Charlie…?” Bill mumbled.

 

“It’s really good to see you again, _Y/N_.” Rowan said honestly. “How are you holding up?”

“A lot better than I expected, at least after my presence wasn’t needed anymore.” You said honestly, frowning lightly.

“Maybe we should talk about something else.” Ben suggested, sensing your discomfort about the topic.

“Good idea, Ben.” Penny agreed.

“We could tell you about our plans for this weekend at Hogsmeade. I’m pretty sure you are up for a little fun to relax.” Tulip said with a smile.

“Sounds great, count me in.” You said with a smile.

“Luckily, it is Friday tomorrow. So, only one more day of classes before the Hogsmeade weekend.” Tonks said with a grin.

“Lucky me.” You said, rolling your eyes amused.

It sure was good to be back. Everything seemed to be back to normal. Well… almost normal. There were still things you needed to figure out and talk about. Whoever or whatever was testing your abilities before you went to Jacob’s hearing would still be out there, waiting for you...

 

* * *

 

 

“What did you want to talk about, _Y/N_?”

You had led Penny the Artefact room to talk in private.

“I want to explain my reasons for avoiding you outside of classes.” You said, looking slightly down.

“ _Y/N_ , you probably had a good reason for it…” She once again said.

“That doesn’t mean it was okay to keep this from you, Penny.” You said honestly.

“Very well…” Penny said with a sigh, wondering what you wanted to tell her.

“You are aware that I am a Seer, right?”

“Yes, you told us that before you left.”

“Well… I didn’t want to admit I was one for quite a long time. My parents are convinced everything that has to do with Divination and legends is rubbish. They don’t believe people can predict the future and they are convinced Seers never existed or have ceased to exist over the centuries.”

“So… They didn’t believe you were a Seer?”

“No, they didn’t believe I was one. Everything I saw was just a dream and if my visions came true, it was just a coincidence. No matter what the vision was about, they would keep saying it was just a dream or just a coincidence. The visions back then didn’t seem to have much meaning, so I began discarding the idea I could foresee things happening.”

 

“Why wouldn’t they believe you? Not everything could be a coincidence, right?” Penny asked.

“Like I said, everything I saw back then had little meaning. It could have been a coincidence if I didn’t have those visions often.” You admitted. “Then I began attending Hogwarts…”

“And you got more meaningful visions?”

“Sort of. It was often just about Jacob, although they weren’t really clear. So, instead of thinking it was a vision, I thought it was just because the Cursed Vaults were messing with me.” You said honestly.

“I’m glad you are telling me about this, but what has it do with me?” She asked, not seeing the connection yet.

“I’m getting there now…” You said softly. “This year, I have been having a lot of visions. Bad visions. I have foreseen some bad things happening and I wasn’t sure if I could tell anyone about them. I thought I was becoming mad. However, I could not ignore my visions anymore… Not after I foresaw your sister’s fate…”

 

Penny’s face became pale and her eyes widened. “You… you foresaw Beatrice’s fate?” She asked.

You nodded. “I saw her… Stuck in the painting…” You admitted. “The vision happened in my sleep, so I woke up in the middle of the night. I… I thought it was just a dream, but I couldn’t sleep afterwards… And afterwards… When we finally found Beatrice, I just didn’t know what to do…”

Penny was just staring, not being able to say a word.

“That’s when I began avoiding you. I felt guilty for not doing anything with my visions. I blamed myself for letting this happen to your sister. I just couldn’t face you without thinking about it…! The more people I foresaw getting stuck in paintings, the more I blamed myself for not doing anything with my abilities.” You tried to explain, running your hands through your hair.

When Penny still didn’t say anything, you felt like you were about to cry. “I’m so sorry… I have never meant for this to happen to your sister… If I just accepted I was a Seer before the whole Jacob fiasco, this would have never happened!” You said when tears were rolling down your face.

 

“It is not your fault.”

You noticed Penny was also crying. “B-but my visions.”

“How could you think something like that would actually happen when your own parents made sure you would not believe you were a Seer? Bloody hell _Y/N_ , they made you believe you were going mad!” She yelled. “How can I be angry at you for something you could not believe? And even if we knew about it, c-could we have saved Bea?”

“I could have tried!” You yelled. “I… I could have tried…” You said softly.

“You don’t know that…” She said honestly. “If you had told me about your vision, I probably would have said you had a weird dream or something. How many people would have believed my sister would get stuck inside a painting?”

Who would have believed you? Penny did have a point and you knew it.

“If you think I would blame you for Beatrice getting stuck inside a painting, then you are wrong.” Penny said before she pulled you into a tight hug. “Now I understand why you wanted to speak with me… I’m glad you did, but please… Don’t blame yourself…” She said softly.

There you were, holding each other while you were both crying. You were relieved you told Penny about why you had been avoiding her. Although, you couldn’t help it but to still feel responsible for Beatrice’s fate. You would keep looking for a way to save Beatrice and the other students.

 

* * *

 

 

“How many people know what your parents are like, _Y/N_?” Penny asked you softly when you two were about to make your way back to the Great Hall. You both had calmed down and she suggested it would probably be a good idea to get back to the others.

“Well, I think most professors know about it now. I have only talked about it with Barnaby before to be honest. He was the first one who asked about them directly. I slowly began sharing more about my parents to him after the first time.” You said honestly. “I don’t really like talking about them, so I tend not to.”

“I can imagine you don’t like talking about them.” She said honestly. “Barnaby already mentioned you didn’t have a good relation with your parents when Ben told us he saw you ripping a letter from your parents.”

“I bet Barnaby was surprised nobody else knew about it.” You shook your head a bit.

“In matter of fact, he was.”

“You know, I didn’t know someone had seen me with the letter my parents sent me… I probably didn’t see Ben, because I was furious back then.”

“He said you were angry. I think he thought it was better to give you some space.”

 

“I also was wondering something else.” Penny suddenly said. “That night in the Forbidden Forest, Jacob said people wanted you as a personal Seer. Do you know what he meant by that?”

“To be honest, I didn’t even know about it before I got my vision. I have never heard about the term before.” You said honestly.

“So, you don’t know what it means?”

“Not exactly… As far as I can understand, it means you will serve someone or a group of people, giving information about the future. Visions can change if you change things prior or during the event, so the visions are used in their advantage.”

“So, they would use Seers for their own benefit?”

“Something like that. I don’t know more about it, but the look of the Professors’ faces gave away it is something horrible.”

“Maybe we can look it up in the library. Or we can ask Professor Trelawney about it?” Penny was thinking about ways to learn more about it. “Oh! Maybe Rowan has looked it up already.”

“Hm, I hadn’t thought about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rowan has done some research about it in my absence.”

 

You two entered the Great Hall and noticed something was going on at the table the rest of your friends sat. You could hear Tulip yelling at someone. You couldn’t hear what she was saying though. You looked at Penny in confusion, wondering what was going on.

Penny looked just as confused as you were and shrugged, telling you she wasn’t sure what was going on either.

You walked over to the table and noticed Tulip and Merula were glaring at each other. It seemed like Tonks and Andre were holding Tulip back and Barnaby was trying to hold back Merula. “What’s going on here?” You asked.

“I really don’t know.” Rowan admitted, not sure how these two almost are fighting each other.

“Merula came over to ask where you were.” Liz explained. “Tulip said you weren’t there and told her to go away.”

You shook your head a bit and then you looked at Merula. “You were looking for me, Merula?”

Merula looked at you and nodded. “Yes, I was, but Karasu is just being rude.” She muttered.

“I’m the one being rude?” Tulip said angrily, narrowing her eyes. “If anyone is being rude, then it is you!”

“You are the one losing your cool over here, not me.” Merula hissed.

 

“Okay, okay. Merula, just tell me why you were looking for me.” You decided to cut them off, thinking they were about to rip each other apart if they had the chance.

“Professor Rakepick wanted to see you.” Merula said. “You too, Bill Weasley.”

“Oh, a meeting…” You mumbled to yourself.

“Yes, so we should hurry up.” Merula said and then she gave Tulip one last glare.

Tulip glared back her, but slowly sat down again.

“All right, let’s go then.” Bill said when he stood up.

Before you left with them, you turned to Penny. “Could you ask her for me?” You asked.

“Sure.” Penny said with a smile.

“Thanks, Penny.” You said before you walked away with Bill and Merula to meet up with Rakepick.

 

“What do you need to ask for _Y/N_ , Penny?” Andre asked, sitting down at the table again when Tulip had calmed down.

“Oh, _Y/N_ and I talked about what a personal Seer is. We both didn’t know much, so we wanted to know if Rowan knew something about the subject.” Penny told Andre before she turned towards Rowan. “Do you know something about it?”

“Well, I haven’t done much research yet, but it doesn’t seem like something good.” Rowan admitted, frowning a little. “Personal Seers serve their master and tell them about the visions they have. The visions are often used to the master's benefit.”

“Yeah, _Y/N_ said something about that as well.” Penny said.

“Okay, so she is aware of what it means.” Rowan said. “The more disturbing part of being a personal Seer is that personal Seers are kept as belongings, almost like slaves… Sometimes they brainwash the Seers, so they will do whatever the master wants. Or there were cases they forced to personal Seer to marry them in order to look less suspicious in the public’s eye.”

“That is just mad…!” Charlie said, frowning a lot when he thought about it.

“It is. They also said, the Seers are mostly treated with respect… Although, I’m not sure if that makes it any better.” Rowan said

“I guess we would have to keep an eye out for _Y/N_.” Andre said.

 

“Also, Tulip… What was that about?” Andre decided to ask. “You and Merula have been acting weird the past few weeks…”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Tulip grumbled.

“We all know that isn’t true, Tulip.” Tonks said, giving Tulip a small smirk.

“Tonks, I swear… If you say another word about it.” Tulip said, narrowing her eyes at Tonks.

“Wait… Does this mean what I think this is?” Andre asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Andre, just drop it.” Tulip said seriously.

“I don’t get it.” Barnaby said in confusion.

“Me neither.” Charlie said with a shrug.

“Good.” Tulip said, not wanting to explain things.

“I could give you a hint.” Tonks said amused.

“Tonks!” Tulip hissed. “Stop it.”

“What? I think it is somewhat funny.” Tonks grinned.

“I don’t know whether it is funny or just really unusual… Then again, it makes sense.” Andre said.

“Andre, I said drop it.” Tulip said again, feeling like banging her head against the table.

Barnaby and Charlie blinked and shrugged, not getting what was going on.

 

* * *

 

 

“Do you think Professor Rakepick is going to teach us a new spell we can use?” You asked.

“How am I supposed to know? I’m not the Seer here.” Merula mumbled, rolling her eyes.

“I can’t see everything, Merula.” You muttered, shaking your head.

“I know that. It was just a joke.” She said honestly.

“I guess I forgot to laugh then.” You mumbled with a grin.

“Very funny, _Y/L/N_.” She mumbled with a grin.

“You two seem to get along a lot better.” Bill pointed out.

“We are just on better terms, Weasley.” She said.

“Well, that’s a good thing. I mean, I’m pretty sure we have to work together a lot during this year.” He said with a smile.

“Yeah, Professor Rakepick has chosen us to be her Curse-Breaker apprentices. That is quite an honour. It’s better if we work together than against each other.” She said.

“I agree. We wouldn’t achieve anything if we work against each other.” You said.

 

Once you all walked into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Rakepick smiled.

“It’s good you could all make it.” She said. “We have some things to discuss, especially about the students that are currently stuck in the paintings.”

You nodded a little. That was definitely something you needed to work on. You still felt like you were responsible for it and you wanted to save them. You especially wanted to save Beatrice now.

“Let me guess, we have to figure out how we can save the students from the paintings? Just like the last meeting?” Merula said.

“Miss Snyde, I will keep bringing it up until we find a way to break the curse and save the students.” Rakepick said. “We also have another problem. We can say there is a connection between the Cursed Vaults and students getting stuck in paintings… However, it is possible that someone is using the same curse to get more students stuck inside the paintings.”

“Someone is using the same curse to get more students stuck inside paintings?” Bill asked.

“It is possible.” Rakepick said. “We have to keep our eyes and ears open, just in case.”

 

“Miss _Y/L/N_ , I want you to keep me updated about your visions about the students who are about to get stuck inside paintings.” Rakepick told you.

“Wait, you have visions about students getting stuck inside the paintings?” Merula asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Yes, I have had some visions about students getting stuck inside the paintings.” You said honestly.

“So, if we know who is about to get stuck, we could probably see how someone gets stuck inside the paintings, right?” Bill said.

“That’s is correct, mister Weasley.” Rakepick said. “That’s why it is important for miss _Y/L/N_ to tell us about those visions.”

“It would have been helpful if _Y/L/N_ had told us about this before…” Merula mumbled.

“It is hard to inform someone if you aren’t aware of what you are, miss Snyde.” Rakepick said. “At least, when people around you try to deny the facts.”

“Oh…” Merula mumbled, understanding what it meant.

“I will keep you informed about those kinds of visions.” You promised.

“Great, that will probably get us a step closer to break the curse.” Rakepick said with a smile. “Either inform me, mister Weasley or miss Snyde.”

You nodded, knowing the news would spread to all of them anyways. They would find a way to keep each other informed.

 

“All right. The next time we meet up, we hopefully know more about the situation. If we know more, I can teach you how to prepare for the next steps properly.” Rakepick said. “You can go now.”

You looked at Merula and Bill. They both shrugged before you decided to leave the classroom.

Merula sighed once you all got out of the classroom. “This was definitely not that useful to be honest.” She mumbled.

“I think she just wanted to update us about how things should go now. She just wanted us to know what we are supposed to do at this point and what we are going to do next.” You said.

“I believe she also wants us to meet each other regularly.” Bill said. “She wants to strengthen the relationships between us to make us work together.”

“That’s a good point, Weasley.” She said. “We never worked together before, so it is still a little weird.”

“It’s just something we will have to get used to.” You said. “This is a great opportunity for us to learn some important skills for our future.”

“I agree. She is teaching us how a Curse-Breaker would approach these situations. This could also give me a chance to become a real Curse-Breaker once I graduate.” Bill said.

“Professor Rakepick is probably going to recommend you. She knows you want to become a Curse-Breaker.” You said with a smile.

“I hope so.” He said honestly.

 

“So, _Y/L/N_ … Rakepick said people around you denied the fact you were a Seer. Did she mean your parents?” Merula asked.

You blinked, not expecting her to ask that question. “Oh… Well, yes. She meant my parents denied that.”

“Even though things happened, you couldn’t believe it?” She asked.

“Let’s say I just thought I was going mad.” You mumbled. “I have had visions most of my life, although they didn’t mean anything until I saw students getting stuck inside their paintings.”

“And the visions about Jacob seemed to be meaningful.” Bill said.

“Yes, they were pretty meaningful. I guess it is just hard to believe when your own parents are very sceptic about Divination and Legends.” You said honestly.

“So, you will really tell us when you have a vision?” Merula asked.

“I’m definitely not going to do nothing anymore if that’s what you think. Even though, it’s going to take a while to get truly used to them… I have always made myself believe my visions were just silly dreams after all. I’m afraid I might mix them up.”

Merula huffed. “I’m pretty sure you will know the difference between a dream and vision.”

“I hope so, I think I should be able to.”

“You will be fine, _Y/N_.” Bill said when he patted your shoulder. “Just listen to your intuition.”

 

“Well, it’s time for me to leave.” Merula said. “I’d rather not be seen by Karasu if you don’t mind.”

“It is fine.” You said. “We’ll keep in touch.”

“You can also expect an owl from me about DADA.” She said before she walked away.

“An owl about DADA?” Bill asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She said she wanted to help me with the stuff I have missed last week.” You explained.

“That is… awfully nice of her.” He said honestly. “I've never thought I would see it, but it seems like you two are about to become friends.”

“That would definitely be a good thing. I mean, I offered her to become friends with me during my first year… Although, we all know what happened next.” You said with a shrug.

 

“Hey, _Y/N_? I was wondering how you were actually feeling.” Bill asked.

“You mean about everything that has happened?” You asked, having the feeling he could see through you.

“Yeah, I can imagine it was a lot to take in last week.”

“You aren’t wrong about that.” You sighed. “It was quite a lot to take in. For a moment, I thought my parents were going to forbid me to return to Hogwarts. They weren’t happy with how things went and how I knew about Jacob’s whereabouts.”

“Your parents still don’t want to believe you?”

You shook your head. “They refuse to believe it. Although, the trial managed to prove I am actually a Seer.” You told him. “It was hard to tell them things, because I knew Jacob would be in trouble. I don’t think Jacob has full control over his actions, but they can’t say anything about it. That’s why Jacob’s fate was not decided during the trial. They are figuring out if he is cursed or not. If he is not cursed, he will go to Azkaban. If he is cursed, they will try to break the curse.”

“So, you are probably worrying about Jacob a lot.”

You nodded. “Basically. Of course, there are more things to worry about now.”

Bill grabbed your hand gently. “Just know you are not alone in this.” He said honestly.

You nodded and gave him a small smile.

 

* * *

 

 

You would meet your friends at the Courtyard to go to Hogsmeade with them. Normally, you would walk there with Rowan, but you told her you had to do something first and she could go there on her own.

You had been spending some time in the library, trying to find more information about Seers and what a personal Seer was. You were kind of horrified by the idea of becoming a personal Seer. You would rather work as a Seer in the Ministry than become a personal Seer. Perhaps you could ask Professor Trelawney about being a Seer. However, you weren’t sure if you were the same kind of Seer like she was.

Now, you were on your way to the Courtyard, thinking it would be good to spend some time with your friends. It would keep your mind off things. It was the kind of distraction you needed at this point. No more thinking about Jacob and those people who want you to become their personal Seer. No, you needed to relax a little and have some fun.

 

A guy bumped into you on your way out. You frowned a little when you looked at the guy.

He looked at you and grinned. “Look who we have here, the infamous _Y/N Y/L/N_.” He said before he glanced at his friends for a moment.

You rolled your eyes and tried to walk away. However, he had other plans with you.

“Not so fast.” He said when he grabbed your shoulder. “Tell us, can you actually predict the future?”

You glanced away. “I don’t have to tell you anything.” You muttered, trying to walk away again.

“It’s all over in the Daily Prophet. Skeeter said you were a Seer.” The guy said, preventing you from walking away. “So, go on. Tell us our future.” He said amused.

“Piss off.” You hissed at the guy.

“That’s not nice at all, _Y/N_.” He said amused. “But you can make it up to us... How about you tell us about what you know about the Potions exam we have soon. If you tell us, we'll let you go.” He said before he glanced at his friends, who also nodded.

“I cannot predict the answers of a Potions exam.” You muttered and you once again tried to walk away.

“Fine, you don’t want to cooperate with us, then I guess I will have to force you.” He said, grabbing his wand, trying to cast Jelly-Legs jinx at you.

 

“ _Protego_!”

You blinked when Barnaby had jumped in front of you. He pointed his wand at the guys. He was pissed and he seemed to be ready to fight them.

“Well, look at that. It seems like the Seer has a Troll as a protector.” The guy said, trying to be tough.

“Leave her alone.” Barnaby warned, glaring at the guy.

“And why should we, Lee? Because you are asking us to leave her alone?” The guy tried not to look intimidated by Barnaby.

“Because I will make sure I will vanish all the bones in your body if you don’t leave her alone.” Barnaby said seriously.

You gently took Barnaby’s arm. “Barnaby, let’s just go.” You said softly, thinking he would get in trouble.

“But _Y/N_ …!” Barnaby began. “He was trying to jinx you.”

“It’s not worth it to get in trouble because of that guy… Really, let’s go.” You said honestly.

“Listen to the Seer, she probably saw you would get in trouble.” The guy said with a smirk, trying to taunt Barnaby.

You tried to hold Barnaby back, giving him a look like you were saying he shouldn't fight them.

He didn't look too pleased by it, but decided to do nothing because you didn't want him to fight.

You could hear the guys laughing a bit and you glared at them before you and Barnaby walked away from the scene.

 

Once you two got away, you sighed.

Great, more people knew you were a Seer and thought you could predict anything… This was probably not the only thing they thought you could do because of the Daily Prophet. You knew there were going to be a lot of rumours about you and you’d rather not know about them.

“If that guy is bothering you again, I swear…” Barnaby muttered, still looking frustrated.

“You would only get in trouble for that. Really, it is fine. These kinds of things will probably stop once another rumour has been spread through the castle.” You tried to convince Barnaby.

“No, it is not okay, _Y/N_. You already have enough to deal with.” He said, looking concerned.

“I will be fine.” You gave him a small smile.

“I’m not convinced.” He said seriously. “Just know you can tell me when people are bothering you, all right?”

“I know, Barnaby.”

 

“There you guys are! We were wondering what was holding you two up.” Penny said with a smile.

“Sorry to hold you guys up, someone was blocking the way for a moment.” You said.

“That means a guy was bothering _Y/N_.” Barnaby muttered, giving you a look.

Charlie frowned. “What did he want?”

“It doesn’t really matter.” You tried to shrug it off. “Let’s go, shall we?”

Some of your friends looked at each other before they nodded. You all walked towards Hogsmeade, talking to each other. They thought you would feel more at ease if they pretended everything was still the same, they just wanted you to relax. Although, they weren't sure if it would actually help.

_Whatever would happen next, you had the feeling your problems wouldn't disappear anytime soon..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a Seer was troublesome and you knew it. People had more reasons to talk about you than ever before. Looking for the Cursed Vaults and being Jacob’s sibling already gave you unwanted attention, but you couldn’t imagine things getting worse. Your friends are trying their best to make it seem like nothing has changed, but you know that is not the case. 
> 
> Can you save the students who are stuck in a painting? Also, what could you do to protect yourself against the people who want you as their Personal Seer? Even though you have the gift to see the future, things seemed to be really unclear…

Everyone in the group seemed to enjoy themselves when you all walked to Hogsmeade. However, your thoughts were drifting off a little. You knew your friends were trying to make you relax by pretending everything was the same. Although, you were sure that was not the case. You knew people were looking differently at you because of what you were. Even your friends seemed to look differently at you. It wasn’t really surprising, you knew being called a Seer officially would change some things. Your friends were at least trying to make it seem like nothing had changed. They would treat you the same like they did before they found out you were a Seer.

There would always be people like the guy that was trying to make you predict the answers for the Potions exam that was coming up. You knew you couldn't see everything. It wasn’t like you had control over your vision after all. Your visions just came unannounced. If you had any control over your visions, you would definitely not be in much trouble. People seemed to think being a Seer was an ideal gift, but they were so wrong. It was more like a curse. You didn't have any visions about nice events, they seemed to warn you about the danger you would come across. The visions tried to warn you about bad things, like seeing Beatrice getting stuck inside a painting and seeing Jacob reveal himself as a bad guy.

 

You barely noticed you arrived in Hogsmeade. Did your friends even notice you were lost in your thoughts? You looked at everyone, thinking most of them didn't notice you were lost in thoughts. However, the look Penny gave you, let you know she noticed you had been lost in your thoughts. You could tell Barnaby was also keeping an eye on you, probably because he still was angry about that guy that was bothering you. It made you glad you stopped him before he would do something that could get him in trouble. Maybe the rest of the group also noticed you were lost in thoughts, but tried to act like they normally would in order to make you feel welcome. You wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.

“So, should we just get into the Three Broomsticks, or do we want to browse around some shops first?” Tulip asked.

“I’m not sure if I need anything, unless we are planning a prank on Filch again. If that's the case, then we definitely need to go to Zonko’s Joke Shop.” Tonks shrugged with a grin.

“Maybe we can get go to some shops first and then go to the Three Broomsticks. I mean, we have quite some time to spend here, right?” Andre said honestly.

“What do you think, _Y/N_ _Y/L/N_?” Tulip asked you.

“Oh, I don’t mind if we go into some shops.” You said honestly.

“All right, so will look around some shops first and then drink some Butterbeers.” Andre said with a smile.

 

You decided you would all split up and go to shops you wanted to go to. This was something that often happened whenever you all went to Hogsmeade together. You all had some different interests after all. It wasn’t fun for everyone to go to Zonko’s Joke Shop, just like some didn’t like to look around Spintwitches Sporting Needs. Once everyone had decided where they wanted to go, you went to Tomes and Scrolls with Rowan. Perhaps the store would have a book that could provide more information about Seers. More specifically, information about Personal Seers.

“Are you sure you should look for a book like that now, _Y/N_?” Rowan asked, frowning slightly. “I mean, maybe it would be better if you look for it another time…”

“Rowan, I know you guys are trying to get me to relax, but I can’t let this rest.” You said honestly. "I want to know more about this topic and perhaps find something to protect myself against these people.”

“Well… If you are sure, then I will help you look for something that is useful.” She said with a small smile. “That’s what best friends are for, right?”

You gave Rowan a smile back. “Thanks Rowan, I appreciate your help.”

 

It was hard to look for books about Seers and Personal Seers. You were about to give up, until Rowan called you to come over.

“I think this might be helpful.” Rowan said when she held up a book. “This one seems to have a lot of information about Seers and also about the history of Seers. That means there should be at least something about Personal Seers in here.”

You took a look at the book and gently looked at the table of content in the book. It seemed to have information you needed at this point. It was probably better if you had a copy of this book yourself than just borrow the book from the library. “Thanks, Rowan. I don’t think I would have found this book if I went in by myself.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m glad I could at least help you with this.” She smiled lightly. “I mean, I wouldn’t know how it feels to be a Seer, but I could at least try to understand the theory behind it.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you eventually know more about the topic than I do to be honest.” You chuckled.

You walked over to the clerk and paid for the book. You put the book away in the bag you brought along.

 

Once you and Rowan walked outside the shop, you looked at her. “Rowan, I know you have already helped me out a lot, but can you do me a favour?”

“Of course.” She said honestly. “What do you want me to do?”

“Can you not mention to the others we have been here and bought this book?” You asked.

Rowan blinked for a moment. It didn’t take her long before she realised why you would ask her that. “What book are you talking about?” She gave you a small grin.

You grinned back, knowing she was fine with it. At least this way the others wouldn’t be too worried about you. It was harder to hide things from Rowan, because she has known you since the beginning. She seemed to be pretty good at reading you whenever something wasn’t going all right. Also, you two slept in the same dormitory. She would figure out if you were hiding something eventually.

“You will tell me when something is going to happen, right?” Rowan asked, biting her lip slightly.

“If something going to happen, I will tell you.” You told her, knowing it wasn’t fair if you kept all your secrets and visions to yourself. Well, you would have to tell Rakepick about your visions anyways, you had promised her that. Everything you knew could be helpful to solve the mystery of the Cursed Vaults.

 

You and Rowan met up with the rest of your friends to drink some Butterbeers together. You made sure you kept the book to yourself for now. You thought about reading it in Jacob’s study, thinking it would be the most private place for you to actually read it. Also, you wanted to be able to reflect on it by yourself.

“It seems like we are all here again.” Tulip said with a grin.

“It is time for some Butterbeers.” Tonks said also with a grin.

You noticed Penny was looking at you. It was like she was concerned about you. Before you could say something, Tulip wrapped an arm around your neck.

“Come on, _Y/N_.” Tulip said with a smile when she led you inside.

Most of your friends looked a little confused.

“Tulip is really trying hard to make _Y/N_ feel like nothing has changed.” Penny pointed out.

“Aren’t we all trying hard?” Charlie said. “I mean, I think even _Y/N_ notices we are trying hard.”

“That’s true. However, it was Tulip who came up with the idea to come here today.” Bill said honestly.

“Maybe we should try to tone it down a little.” Rowan suggested. “I mean, we shouldn’t talk about Jacob or mention Seers, but we shouldn’t overdo things either.”

“I guess we all agreed to this, because we felt guilty about not trusting _Y/N_ before the truth came out.” Penny said with a sigh.

 

They quickly went inside before you and Tulip would wonder what was taking them so long to come inside. You and Tulip sat at the table you would normally drink Butterbeers together. The others quickly made their way over to the table and sat down. It didn’t take long before the first order of Butterbeers came.

You all talked about topics you would normally talk about whenever you were here. It was basically about all kinds of topics and interests at this moment. Nothing was said about you being a Seer or the Cursed Vaults though. You didn’t really mind it though. It kind of made you feel like a normal Hogwarts student for once.

Still, you couldn’t help it but let your thoughts wander off again, wondering what you could do in order to protect yourself and others. You knew it wasn’t a good thing if these people, Jacob was talking about, would get their hands on you. It would be troublesome and you wouldn’t even know if they were behind the curse that trapped the students inside paintings. They could have enhanced the curse, even though they didn’t create the curse. Maybe they even knew how to break the curse. There were many things you would have to figure out.

 

Even though your friends were talking quite loudly sometimes, you could hear some whispers coming from the table next to you. At first, you didn’t really know what they were talking about. You only realised they were talking about you when they said your name.

“ _Can you believe it? Y/N, Jacob Y/L/N’s sibling, is actually a Seer._ ”

“ _Maybe that’s how she managed to survive the Cursed Vaults… I heard the Cursed Vaults could be deathly…_ ”

“ _Yeah, didn’t one student die because of the Cursed Vaults when her brother was attending Hogwarts?_ ”

“ _Not just a student… It was one of his friends who died…_ ”

“ _Maybe Y/N has saved people from dying by doing things differently than her vision…_ ”

“ _Who knows what she does with her ability? I still think she is mad._ ”

Great… They were making assumptions about your ability… You didn’t even know how your visions worked and you definitely hadn't saved people from dying because of your visions. At least, not that you were aware of.

You tried to listen to your friends again, hearing something about a prank Tonks and Tulip were planning. Bill was already giving them looks like he didn’t approve of this. Rowan didn’t seem to really approve their plans either. Penny, Andre and Ben shook their heads a bit, thinking it was insane. Barnaby and Charlie seemed to have a totally different conversation. You could hear they were talking about Dragons and Magical Creatures.

 

Suddenly, you noticed the table next to yours wasn’t the only group that seemed to talking about you. You noticed people were glancing at you from other tables before they would talk to other people again. You couldn’t help it but to stiffen a bit. It was as if you weren’t looked down upon for being Jacob’s sister already… The gossip seemed to be even worse than before. You couldn’t help it but to be nervous when everyone was just staring at you. These people were probably judging you behind your back. All of these people, whispering about you... You needed to get out of here!

“Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.” Rowan said, giving you a certain look. It let you know she saw what was going on with you. She knew you needed to get away for a moment.

“Wait, I will come with you.” You said when you stood up.

Rowan nodded and then you both went to the girls’ bathroom. You were slowly feeling less tense, however, you were sure you would feel more tense if you would go back. All those people’s eyes seemed to be on you. All their judgemental eyes… Probably making assumptions because of the things Rita Skeeter has written about you.

 

“Merlin, _Y/N_ … You gave me vibes like you were about to die back there.” Rowan said honestly. She definitely was concerned about you.

“You weren’t wrong.” You mumbled honestly, taking a deep breath to calm yourself down again.

“Did you have a vision?” She asked, not sure what was going on.

“No, I did not have a vision.” You told her, frowning slightly. “Didn’t you see it?”

“See what?”

“The people… They were all glancing at me.”

Rowan frowned. “They were?”

“Yes!” You were shaking slightly. “All their eyes were on me, Rowan. They also seem to be whispering a lot…”

“Are you sure you aren’t imagining it, _Y/N_?” She asked, wondering if you had seen it right.

“I’m not imagining it! The people at the table next to us were talking about Jacob and I. I could hear them.” You said, feeling slightly annoyed Rowan didn’t seem to believe you.

“Okay, okay.” Rowan held up her arms in defence, giving you an apologetic look.

You couldn’t help it but to be slightly angry. If Rowan didn’t believe you, then who of your friends would? They probably thought you were slightly paranoid, because of the whole trial and discovery of being a Seer.

 

Rowan tried to make you feel better, trying to say the right words in order to keep you from panicking or getting angry. Perhaps she was right about you overthinking it, you knew she didn’t mean to make it sound like she didn’t believe you. However, she wouldn’t be surprised if you kind of imagined it, because of everything that happened. People have always spread rumours about you. Still, you have never reacted this way before.

“Come on, _Y/N_. Let’s go back and try to relax.” Rowan suggested. “It might not be as bad as you think.”

You reluctantly decided to come out and get back at the table with Rowan. You gave the rest of the group a smile when you joined them again. You thought nobody had noticed why you and Rowan left for a moment. At least, that was the impression they gave you when you came back from the bathroom. You once again tried to focus on their conversations, but your paranoia was still there. You once again noticed people staring at you. They weren’t even subtle about it either. You glanced at Rowan, realising she has seen them staring at you as well.

One more whisper and you would definitely get out of this place.

 

Of course… You didn’t need to wait long for that. Maybe going out to Hogsmeade was a bad idea when people were still gossiping about your brother’s trial… Maybe you should have thought about it when that guy was trying to make you predict the answers of the Potions exam for him… You didn’t understand what you were feeling at the moment. You were angry, scared and down at the same time. You wanted to get away from this place now. You glanced at Rowan, who was trying to calm you down a little again, before you slowly stood up.

“I’m sorry. I really have to get out of here now.” You said when you grabbed your stuff.

Everyone, except for Rowan, was surprised. Rowan just was concerned, not expecting you to just go away.

“Wait, what is going on, _Y/N_?” Bill asked, realising he might have missed something.

“Please, don’t ask.” You muttered when you were ready to go, leaving some money for the Butterbeer on the table. “See you guys later, I guess…” You mumbled when you walked away.

“ _Y/N_ , come back…!” Penny called after you.

You just didn’t look back and made your way out of the Three Broomsticks quickly.

 

_Don’t cry… Don’t you dare to cry…!_

You were walking as fast as you could, wanting to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. That didn’t mean you could stop your tears from rolling down your face. Of course, crying didn’t really help you with seeing everything clearly. You just had to bump into someone when you were crying, didn't you?

“Watch where you are go-… Oh, it’s just you.”

You recognized the voice immediately. “Sorry, Merula…” You mumbled softly.

“I suppose it is fine…. Just this one time though!” She said, rolling eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“Does it really matter…?” You mumbled, trying to rub your tears away.

“Let me guess, people kept talking about your brother and about your new ability.”

“Obviously…”

“You know how people are when they read the crap that is written by Skeeter.” Merula grimaced. “Where are you heading to?”

“Hogwarts.” You mumbled softly. “You?”

“I’m also heading to Hogwarts. I suppose I could save you from bumping into other people if I walk along with you.” She said with a smirk.

“You actually want to walk with me to Hogwarts?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Ah well, I could walk with people that are way worse than you are.” She shrugged. “You can see it as a compliment, I guess.”

 

* * *

 

“Ugh… I should have paid more attention to her.” Tulip muttered, feeling annoyed with herself at this point. “This day was supposed to make her relax and let her have some fun, not causing her to leave.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Tulip.” Tonks said honestly. “I don’t think we could have prevented this from happening.”

“So, let me get this straight… People around us were staring and talking about _Y/N_   the entire time?” Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I honestly didn’t notice it, until she pointed it out to me.” Rowan said honestly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“At least you noticed something was going on with her.” Tulip said honestly. “Nobody else noticed something was up.”

“Maybe because we were focussing on our own conversations too much.” Andre said. “I suppose _Y/N_ ’s thoughts wandered off, making her think about other things.”

“I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was the case…” Penny said, biting her lip slightly. “Can we really expect her not to think about everything that happened?”

“We can’t expect her to do that.” Bill said honestly. “We just have to try and be there for her when she needs us.”

“How about we actually do something about these rumours?” Barnaby suggested.

 

Everyone gave Barnaby a weird look, not expecting him to say something like that.

“What?” Barnaby looked confused. “All I suggested was trying to do something about those rumours… I mean, she does seem to be bothered by them a lot.”

“But how could we actually stop rumours? At the moment, _Y/N_ is quite of a hot topic for the media…” Andre pointed out.

“If the rumours stop, she will probably be more relaxed though…” Charlie said honestly.

“Maybe if people would focus on other rumours, then they won’t focus too much on the rumours about _Y/N_?” Tonks said. “What if Tulip and I pull a big prank on everyone? They might all forget about _Y/N_!”

“And we will be in detention until we graduate.” Tulip said honestly. “Or perhaps they would even suspend us for doing such a prank.”

“But Dumbledore appreciates a good prank.” Tonks said with a small grin.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do anything too drastic.” Bill suggested. “How about we just keep an eye on _Y/N_? We can jump in when things get bad.”

“When that guy was bothering her, she wouldn’t let me fight them though.” Barnaby said, frowning slightly. “She might not want us to fight…”

“Then we will just use our words.” Bill said.

 

“Bill, that’s easy for you to say. You are the Head Boy for crying out loud! They would listen to you, but do you think that will stop the problem?” Charlie said with a frown.

“They might listen to you as well, Charlie. You are a prefect after all.” Ben said softly.

“Then they should listen to _Y/N_ as well.” Charlie muttered. “I don’t think a prefect would be able to stop rumours about _Y/N_.”

“Well, we can all just try to make it stop?” Andre said. “It’s the least thing we can do. Besides, if we don’t do anything, nothing will happen.”

“Exactly, Andre. If we don’t do anything, nothing will change. We will try to use our words to help _Y/N_ out for now.” Bill said.

“And if they are still being annoying, Tulip and I will prank them.” Tonks said.

“And I will fight them.” Barnaby said.

Bill groaned softly, wondering how those things would help you out. He knew some of the group would probably get in trouble…

 

* * *

 

Your friends noticed you haven’t been around often the next week at Hogwarts. Sure, you went to your classes, but you seemed to disappear after that. At first, they thought you were angry with them, but that didn’t seem to be the case. You didn’t act like you were angry with them, you seemed to be the same as you normally were. Still, they were wondering where you went to.

“I think she is probably in detention. I mean, Dumbledore said she would get less detention, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any detention anymore.” Rowan said.

“Detention doesn’t take that long, there must be something else that she is doing.” Tulip said honestly.

“It depends… If you have double detention, then it takes long.” Tonks said with a shrug.

“I don’t think _Y/N_ has double detention.” Rowan said honestly.

“Anyways, I don’t think she has detention now.” Tulip said. “I think we should look for her and see where she is.”

“What if she doesn’t want to be found?” Charlie asked. “I mean, we probably didn’t see her because she didn’t want us to see her.”

“And just leave her on her own? Charlie, I don’t know if you get it, but I think _Y/N_ is trying to do things on her own. And this _thing_ she is trying to do isn’t something she is supposed to do on her own.” Tulip said with a frown.

 

“Tulip, calm down for a moment.” Penny said, placing a hand on Tulip’s shoulder. “Ever since _Y/N_ is back, you seem to be very worried about her.”

“Yeah, you have been trying so hard to make _Y/N_ feel like nothing has changed…” Tonks said.

Tulip frowned slightly more. “That’s because I am worried about her.” She muttered. “When we became suspicious about _Y/N_ ’s loyalty to us, I couldn’t help it but to think I would have to betray her…”

“But everyone was suspicious, Tulip.” Charlie said honestly.

“You don’t get it, do you? When Merula and I were friends I betrayed her…! I don’t want to betray my friendship with _Y/N_! I was willing to betray _Y/N_ because I thought she became the bad guy! And then… And then she turned out to be helping Madam Rakepick!” Tulip was slightly shaking.

Tonks stepped closer to Tulip. “Tulip…”

“I was willing to betray someone who wasn’t even planning to do anything wrong!” Tulip yelled. “And that’s why I have been trying extra hard to make _Y/N_ feel welcome again. I wanted to make things up with her…”

Everyone around Tulip was quiet. They weren’t sure what to say about it. They all knew Tulip had trust issues ever since she ended her friendship with Merula… However, the reason for her trust issues might have a deeper reason than they knew about.

 

Tonks pulled Tulip into a hug. “It’s okay Tulip… Really, we get it. I think _Y/N_ would also get it.” She told her best friend.

“Tonks, this is not okay…! What if… What if I suddenly betray someone else? What if I betray you?” Tulip said softly.

“You won’t.” Tonks said firmly. “I know you won’t. I trust you.”

Tulip didn’t even know what to say at this point. She just hugged Tonks back tightly.

 

* * *

 

You had been reading the book you bought in Jacob’s study. You slowly became more aware of what being a Seer would mean to you. Your visions were mostly warnings about bad things that could happen in the future. There were different kinds of Seers. Some Seers could see visions of things that were close to them or their friends and family. Also, the types of visions could vary. Some Seers would have visions about fortunate events. As far as you could tell, you weren’t one of the Seers that could see fortunate events. Some Seers would also have visions about complete strangers. And for some Seers, visions would happen when they touched another person. You understood that being a Seer doesn’t mean you would share the same kinds of experiences. They would differ per Seer.

The only thing you would like to learn was to have more control over your visions. However, you didn’t see anything about that in the book. You just hoped there was a way to control it. It would be dangerous to have a vision if you got one in the middle of a fight or when you would have Flying classes. Andre and Charlie already saved you once when you were about to fall off your broom during class. You didn’t want to give them a heart attack by actually falling off your broom. During Care of Magical Creatures, it also wasn’t safe to have a vision. At least, not when you were about to interact with a creature. Actually, most classes required focus, so having a vision during class wasn’t really safe.

 

You were making your way to the Great Hall, thinking you might see your friends there. You spend so much time reading on your own, you didn’t really spend that much time with your friends the entire week. You knew you might have to read less and spend more time with them, thinking they would get worried about you. Then again, you still had to read more about the Personal Seer thing.

Reading about the history of Personal Seers was strange. Personal Seers often served a wealthy family. They would be taken away from their homes and be forced to marry one of the family members. They were treated with respect, but also forced to tell the family about any visions they got. The fortunate visions were helpful to prepare them for the good news. The unfortunate visions could prepare them to change the future. Either way, they would use the visions for their own advantage. Nowadays, having Personal Seers seem to be illegal. The Ministry has tracked down people who sell Seers off to other people.

The whole idea of being a Personal Seer creeped you out. You would be seen as a possession and not as a being. Also, you would be enslaved to the people you would have to serve. You were glad it was illegal; however, you knew the people that were out there wanted you to be their Personal Seer. You definitely had to be careful…

 

On your way to the Great Hall, the same guy that bothered you before blocked your way.

“I don’t think we managed to do what we were supposed to do the last time.” He said with a smirk.

“And I don’t owe you anything.” You said, trying to walk past the guy.

Of course, he wasn’t about to let you go that easily. He grabbed your arm and made you look at him. “Come on now… No need to be so rude, _Y/N_.” He whispered.

You pulled yourself away from him and frowned. “Stay away from me.” You said, trying to walk away again.

“Not until you give us some answers about the upcoming exams.” He said, signing to his friends to help him out.

His friends prevented you from walking away, making sure they blocked every way you could go to at this point.

You took a deep breath and then you glared at the guy. “I already told you, I can’t predict things like that.”

“I’m pretty sure you would be able to give us some answers if you tried, _Y/N_.” He said with a smirk. “A Seer can look into the future, so I’m pretty sure you will be able to look at something as simple as exam answers.”

 

“Don’t you have better things to do than bothering someone younger than you are?” You hissed, feeling frustrated.

“We won’t bother you if you would just answer us.” The guy said with a grin.

“And I keep telling you I can’t predict the answers of exams.” You felt like hexing this guy, but you knew that would only cause trouble.

“Then we might have to do things to make you predict the answers.” He said, grabbing his wand.

“Very original.” You said, not looking away from him. “Do you honestly think things would change if you hex or jinx me?”

“We can always give it a try, _Y/N._ You aren’t the most trustworthy person out here in Hogwarts.” He said with a smirk. “I do pity you though. Your brother is mad and your poor parents are ashamed of both their children… I suppose you and Jacob are both just mental. In the end, you will end up in St. Mungo’s Hospital.”

You just glared at the guy. “You don’t know anything about me…!”

“Oh, come on...! Every news source is talking about it. Your parents don’t want to answer any questions about you nor Jacob. Although their faces say enough. Everyone could see the shame and irritation in their eyes.”

You grabbed your wand and pointed it at him. “How about you just shut up?”

“And what is the little Seer going to do? Hex me?”

 

“I could also hex you if you don’t step away from her.”

The guy turned around, seeing Merula pointing her wand at him. “Oh look, it’s the Death Eater girl. Are you going to use the Killing Curse on us?”

Merula rolled her eyes. “You can’t even come up with something original, can you?” She slowly began smirking. “We both know who would win in a duel, Harrison.”

“You are full of shit, Snyde.” He said, glaring at her.

“Maybe, but you are full of it as well.” She said slightly amused.

“What are you even doing, Snyde? You and _Y/L/N_ don’t even get along.”

“Let’s say we get along a lot better nowadays.” She said with a grin. “And I won’t let you bother her.”

“We will see about that Snyde.” He said, turning back to you quickly. “ _Stupefy_!”

Once you got hit you could feel you were losing your consciousness. Your vision became black and you knew you were falling backwards. You have never felt the impact of hitting the floor though.

 

* * *

 

_“We have been waiting for you, Y/N.” One man in a red cloak said. “Jacob has told us so many things about you.”_

_“It took us so long to finally break Jacob’s willpower to fight us back…” Another one in a red cloak said. “He and his friends have done so many jobs for us during their Hogwarts years… When we found out about you, we knew you would be a valuable addition to our team.”_

_“Jacob tried hard to protect you, but once he lost to us, he was willing to tell us everything about you and your gift. He was convinced you were a Seer, having seen the signs. Your parents might not believe in it, but we do. We would be honoured if you are our Personal Seer.” The first man said._

_“I will not be anyone’s Seer.” You said. “I won’t serve you.”_

_“And who would be there to save you? You are alone, Y/N. It will be less painful if you just follow us. Believe me. You won’t have to worry about a thing if you follow us… We can even arrange Jacob to come back to us if we want to… Just for you.”_

* * *

 

“ _Y/N_?”

You blinked when you suddenly saw Merula and Barnaby staring at you. You slowly sat up, feeling confused. Did you just have another vision?

“You got hit by the Stunning Spell and fainted… At least, I think you fainted.” Merula said.

“Fainted? Didn’t you see her eyes just now?” Barnaby said frowning a little.

You rubbed your temples a little and took a deep breath. “Did the colour of my eyes look different?”

“What?” Merula raised an eyebrow.

“Just answer the question…”

“Your eyes seemed to be lighter…” Barnaby replied, looking confused. “Why…?”

“Then I know what it was…” You mumbled.

“A vision?” Merula guessed.

You nodded a bit. You tried to stand up, but you lost your balance.

Luckily, Barnaby could catch you, holding you up in his arms. He frowned slightly. “Careful…” He mumbled.

“You are lucky Barnaby was there in time to catch you when you fainted.” Merula said. “You would probably have a bigger headache than you might have now.”

Barnaby gave you a small smile. “Well, I can’t say I was really on time… I mean, I wasn’t there to help you.”

“Well, still thank you for catching me.” You told him honestly. “Also, thank you for trying to help me, Merula.”

“Don’t thank me, I mean, I clearly should have hexed him before he used the Stunning Spell on you…” She muttered.

 

“Anyways… I think we should bring you to Madam Rakepick. I’m pretty sure you need to tell her about the vision.” Merula said. “Barnaby, can you help me with getting her to Madam Rakepick’s office?”

“Of course.” He said, lifting you off the floor like it was basically nothing.

You blushed slightly. “B-Barnaby…! Carrying me won’t be necessary.”

Merula smirked lightly. “I think this might be the quickest way to bring you to Madam Rakepick. You could barely stand, it would take forever to walk to Rakepick’s office if you would walk along with us.”

“I don’t mind carrying you, _Y/N_. You are not that heavy.” Barnaby said with a smile. “Besides, what if you feel faint on the way there?”

You groaned softly, hiding your face in your hands in embarrassment.

“Let’s start walking to Rakepick. If we see Bill Weasley, we should probably ask him to come along as well.” Merula said.

If anyone else of your friends saw this, you would die in embarrassment. You just hoped no else saw you on the way to Rakepick’s office.

 

Once you were close to Rakepick’s office, you saw most of your friends close to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. ‘ _Please, Avada me…_ ’ You thought, groaning softly. Your face was flushed and you knew you wouldn’t be able to stop blushing until you got into Rakepick’s office.

“Snyde, what are you doing with _Y/N_?” Tulip asked with a frown.

“Relax, Karasu. I’m just helping to get  _Y/N_ to Madam Rakepick.” Merula said, rolling her eyes. She looked at Barnaby and smirked. “You can put her down now.”

“Oh.” He said, slowly putting you down again. “I hope that wasn’t too uncomfortable for you. I tried to move as carefully as I could.”

“It was… fine… Don’t worry.” You mumbled softly. “Also, t...thank you.”

“No problem, I’m glad you didn’t feel uncomfortable.” Barnaby said with a smile.

“Karasu, is Weasley there with you as well?” Merula asked.

“Which one?” You heard two voices say.

“Who do you think?” Merula muttered. “But for clarification, I mean Bill Weasley.”

“I’m here.” Bill said when he walked over. “What is going on?” He looked at you.

“A vision.” You mumbled softly.

Bill became serious and then he nodded. “I see.”

“Let’s go then.” Merula said before she opened the door to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

You and Bill both followed her into the classroom, ready to talk to Madam Rakepick.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new vision gave you some information about what R has done to Jacob. Still, you knew this might mean they would catch you or you would be in a pretty dangerous situation if the vision happens. You didn’t have an idea of when the vision would happen. All you could do is prepare yourself mentally for the vision to take place.
> 
> You also aren’t the only one who is dealing with a lot of things. Something seems to be going on with Tulip. She seems to keep fighting with Merula and things slowly seem to fall in place… Then there is this new vision about one of your friends who might be in danger… Can you keep everyone safe? Can you save yourself?

“Ah, my apprentices. What can I do for you?” Madam Rakepick said when you, Bill and Merula entered her classroom.

“Well, I suppose you should tell her.” Merula said, looking at you. “It happened to you after all. Besides, you didn’t tell us anything about what you have seen yet.”

“So, it is about another vision?” Rakepick said, looking at you. “Miss _Y/L/N_ , could you please tell me what you have seen?”

You nodded slightly. “Well, the vision was about the people Jacob talked about. Either one of them is R, or R is an organisation.”

“Interesting…” Rakepick mumbled, looking more serious. “What happened in the vision?”

“They said they have been waiting for me, telling me how long it took before they managed to break Jacob.”

“They broke Jacob?” Bill raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, they said Jacob was trying to protect me. He told them he was certain I was a Seer, because I showed all kinds of signs. He probably couldn't stop himself from telling them about me after they broke him.” You said.

“It seems like Jacob _Y/L/N_ has been tortured into madness by these people… That would mean he is innocent in some kind of way.” Rakepick pointed out.

“Because it is not his fault bad things happened?” Merula asked.

“Exactly. If we could just prove it, Jacob would only have to go to St. Mungo in order to heal and hopefully regain his sanity…” Rakepick said honestly.

 

“Did something else happen in your vision?” Bill asked, looking at you again.

“They wanted to take me as their personal Seer. They said there was no one there to save me. They said If I just cooperate, they would try to bring Jacob back for me…” You muttered.

“What about the location? Do you know where it was?” Merula asked, frowning slightly.

“No, I couldn’t recognise it… All I know it was pretty dark… I’m not sure if I can remember how the surrounding looks like, because it was dark and a bit vague.” You frowned lightly.

“Not all visions are vivid if I’m correct. It is possible you can’t remember it because the location might not be set yet.” Rakepick said.

“So, these people could show up everywhere?” Merula asked.

“Basically. Although, it is pretty certain it will happen during the night or somewhere dark because Miss _Y/L/N_ could tell it was dark.” Rakepick said.

“I suppose we should prepare ourselves for this then.” Bill said.

“We should, however, it is not known when this will happen. It could happen very soon, but it could also happen much later.” Rakepick said.

“But most of her visions were about things that happened pretty recently after she got the vision, right?” Merula asked. “So, this might happen soon as well?”

 

“I used to have some visions that happened years after I have had them as a child.” You said honestly, rubbing the back of your neck. “At least, I believe they were visions back then. Like Jacob’s disappearance. I had a vision when he was about to go to Hogwarts for the first time. Just like I had one about Jacob disappearing one day."

“Great…” Merula grumbled. “So, we have to prepare for something that could happen basically any time from now?”

“It’s not like _Y/N_ could help it, Merula. She can't see the date of the vision in her head.” Bill pointed out. “We just have to use this knowledge in our advantage and prepare for it whenever it will happen.”

“That is right, Mr. Weasley. That’s all we can do for now.” Rakepick said.

“I suppose this meeting is over then?” Merula asked.

“Unless something else happened, I suppose the meeting is over.” Rakepick said.

“Well, _Y/N_ … Did something else happen?” Merula asked, giving you a look.

“No, nothing else happened." You said.

“You are not going to tell Rakepick about the guy that keeps bothering you...?” Merula whispered into your ear, feeling slightly frustrated.

“Did you notice something strange, Miss Snyde?” Rakepick asked, raising an eyebrow.

Merula looked at you, but you shook your head slightly. She sighed and then she shook her head. “No, Professor Rakepick, nothing strange happened.”

 

* * *

 

 

“What was that about?” Bill asked when the three of you got out of the classroom.

“Well, tell him, _Y/N_. I’m pretty sure a good friend of yours should know what happened before you got your vision.” Merula said, giving you another look like she was telling you to tell Bill what happened.

“Nothing too bad. There was just some guy bothering me.” You said softly.

Bill frowned. “Some guy was bothering you?”

“For crying out loud, that guy was threatening you and even knocked you out...!” Merula said frustrated.

“What?” Bill looked surprised. “Who knocked you out?”

“What does it matter? He probably won’t be the only one who wants to bother me because they know I’m a Seer now.” You muttered, looking slightly away.

“Those buffoons think _Y/N_ has the ability to predict the test answers of the upcoming exams.” Merula said, rolling her eyes.

“ _Y/N_ , you can’t just let this slide. You should tell a teacher about this. You can also tell me, I might be able to stop it.” He said honestly.

“I don’t think a teacher would be able to stop this, Bill.” You said honestly. “They don’t even care whether you are a prefect or not. I’m not even sure if they would listen to you and you’re the Head Boy.”

 

“According to Barnaby, it was the same guy who bothered you before.” Merula said.

Of course, Barnaby would have said that to Merula. “Let me guess, he told you about that when I was knocked out?”

“Yes, he did.” Merula said honestly.

“Bloody hell… Could you at least tell me if this happens again?” Bill asked. “I still don’t think you should just let this happen to you.”

“Well, the less I do, the less the will bother me about this, I think?” You shrugged. “I just want all the weird rumours to disappear, you know?”

“Of course, I understand you want the rumours to disappear, but letting people threaten you for a prediction is just crazy…” Bill pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It’s not like they would get any predictions. I mean, I can’t even predict things like test answers. I don’t even understand how they have got the idea I could predict test answers.” You shook your head.

“Does it even matter? These people are just idiots and you shouldn’t let them walk all over you.” Merula rolled her eyes.

 

“I suppose it is time to go to the Great Hall for dinner.” Merula said. “Keep me updated about your visions and buffoons that are bothering you.” She waved goodbye and walked away from you and Bill.

“We should also head to the Great Hall.” Bill suggested. “I know I need all the energy I can get for patrolling tonight.”

“I see.” You nodded. “I don’t have any prefect duties tonight, but I do have them tomorrow.”

“Well, perhaps I will see you then, because I will be out patrolling tomorrow as well.” He said with a grin.

“Of course, you are the Head Boy after all.” You said with a smile.

 

* * *

 

You shot up awake during the night. Your heart was racing and you quickly got out of bed. You quickly grabbed your robe, ready to put it over your pyjamas.

Rowan woke up because of the noise and blinked when she saw you getting your robe. “ _Y/N_ , what are you doing?” She asked softly.

“I-I need to warn him!” You told her. “I need to find him now!”

Rowan sat up, realising something was going on. “Find who? _Y/N_ , who do you need to find?”

“Bill! I need to find Bill before it is too late!” You said, putting on your shoes.

“Bill? What is going on? Did you have a vision?” Rowan asked, getting out of bed. “ _Y/N_ , tell me what you have seen.”

“The paintings! He’s going to be stuck inside a painting!” You said before you sprinted out of your dormitory room.

Rowan’s eyes widened. She knew she needed to warn people about this. She knew she needed to find Professor Rakepick and warn her about what you have seen. She was also thinking about warning Charlie, since it was his brother. Rowan quickly grabbed her robe and put on some shoes before she ran out of the dormitory.

 

You began running towards the Grand Staircase, knowing it would happen somewhere there. Most paintings hung in the Grand Staircase and you could recognise the location of the vision. You passed some Prefects who were patrolling on your way. They gave you a weird look when you passed them, but since you were a fellow Prefect, they didn’t stop you from running.

You tried to run as fast as you could. You didn’t want to be too late for another student to get stuck in a painting and you definitely didn’t want Bill to be the one who gets stuck inside a painting. You didn’t want your friends to get stuck inside paintings! You needed to use the vision in your advantage! You couldn’t let this happen, not after you let Beatrice get stuck inside a painting because you couldn’t believe your vision. You have learnt your lesson, you weren’t going to let a vision like that slide ever again.

Once you had reached the Grand Staircase, you began looking around for Bill. You weren’t sure what level he was on right now. You looked up, but you couldn’t see him there. When you looked down, you noticed Bill just was about to enter the Grand Staircase from a level below you.

 

“Bill!” You shouted when you were about to run down the stairs before they would change again.

Bill blinked when he heard his name and looked surprised when he saw you running over to him. “ _Y/N_?”

“Stay away from the paintings!” You yelled, making your way over to him.

Once you were close enough, Bill put his hands on your shoulders. “Stay away from the paintings? What's going on, _Y/N_?”

“You are going to get stuck inside one if you don’t! I-I saw it!”

“All right, all right. I will stay away from the paintings.” Bill said calmly, hoping it would calm you down as well.

“Don’t go to the Grand Staircase alone...!” You said, still not calming down. “If you are here on your own, you will get stuck inside a painting.”

Bill frowned slightly and then he nodded. “I'll promise it, okay? I won’t go to the Grand Staircase alone.”

You nodded lightly, still shaking because of the vision. You felt like this was a close call. Still, you didn’t trust it was over yet. What if it was meant to happen another day? What if this vision will become a reality as long as the curse was out there?

 

Bill gently pulled you into a hug, trying to calm you down. He knew he needed to take the vision seriously. However, it didn’t seem to be right time to panic about something that could happen to him when you were already freaking out because of the vision. He needed to think about this vision and figure out how to stop it from happening. You already gave him the advice not to go to the Grand Staircase alone, but would that be enough?

It didn’t take long before Rakepick showed up with Rowan and Charlie. She walked over to you and Bill. “It seems like Miss _Y/L/N_ has been able to warn you in time, Mr. Weasley. Or at least she gave you a warning of something that could happen soon if we don’t take any measurements.” Rakepick said honestly.

“Bloody hell, Bill. I nearly got a heart attack when Rowan told me about _Y/N_ ’s vision.” Charlie said honestly.

“Well, I suppose we both nearly got one.” Bill said honestly.

“Sorry _Y/N_ , but it seemed to be better to inform others about your vision…” Rowan said honestly.

You shook your head. “It is fine, don’t worry.” You said honestly, your heart still racing from what happened.

 

“Miss Khanna, could you escort Miss _Y/L/N_ to the Hospital Wing? I think a Calming Draught would be in order if she wants to get a good night rest after this…” Rakepick said.

Rowan nodded and then she wrapped an arm around your shoulder. “Let’s go, _Y/N_.” She said softly when she began walking with you towards the Hospital Wing.

You glanced back at Bill one more time, before you decided Rakepick would handle this situation better than you could at this moment.

Rakepick looked at the two Weasleys and sighed. “I know it’s one of the Head Boy’s duties to patrol the school, but perhaps it would be better if you patrol the other parts of the school.”

“I think that would be a good idea if I don’t want to get stuck inside a painting.” Bill said honestly.

“What else could be done to make sure this vision doesn’t become a reality?” Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“ _Y/N_ said I shouldn’t be here alone.” Bill said honestly.

“It seems like the best solution for now.” Rakepick said honestly. “I will figure out if there is something else I can do in order to stop the vision from becoming a reality.”

 

* * *

 

“Is it true _Y/N_ has saved Bill from getting trapped in a painting last night?” Penny asked Rowan.

Rowan nodded. “It seems to be the case. At least, she has warned him it could happen if he is on his own and nearby the paintings at the Grand Staircase.”

“Wow… She must be glad she was on time.” Penny said honestly. “I don’t think she would forgive herself if she let someone else get stuck inside a painting.”

“No, I don’t think so either. She was panicking so much when she had that vision.”

“She already blames herself for what happened to Beatrice.” Penny frowned slightly. “It’s not like she could help it, especially when her parents made her believe she was just dreaming or imagining things for years.”

“I think she would keep blaming herself if things happen to any of us at this point. She wants to save everyone from whatever could happen.” Rowan said honestly. “She told me one of people in the red cloaks said one of us would die…”

“No way!” Penny said surprised.

“I don’t think _Y/N_ is taking everything too well lately… She is trying to be tough, but I can tell it won’t take long before she might collapse under the pressure…”

“I know I would collapse under pressure if someone told me one of my friends would die if I don’t stop looking for the Cursed Vaults… Who wants to be responsible for the death of a friend?”

 

“When will you stop this nonsense?”

Penny and Rowan blinked when they heard Tulip yelling.

“Do you think what I think it is?” Rowan asked.

“Tulip and Merula are bickering again?” Penny guessed.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought.”

The two girls made her way over to Tulip, seeing that Tonks was holding Tulip back, just like Ismelda was holding Merula back.

“You are just pissed, because I became friends with _Y/N_.” Merula hissed at Tulip.

“Yeah right…! You are just going to use her, like you use all your _friends_.” Tulip hissed.

“At least I don’t stab my friends in the back, Karasu!” Merula pointed out.

Tulip managed to get out of Tonks grip and stormed over to Merula, pointing her wand at her. “Shut up!”

“Just admit it! You stabbed me in the back! You have betrayed me!” Merula pulled herself away from Ismelda and also grabbed her wand.

“That's because you were using me for your dirty jobs! Just like you were using Barnaby and Ismelda! We all got in trouble because of you!” Tulips eyes narrowed.

“Oh, like you are the Saint of your group now! You wanted to betray _Y/N_ when you suspected she was doing something bad. Clearly, you are a really good _friend_!” Merula said the last part sarcastically.

 

Nobody expected Tulip to actually attack Merula, but she did. “ _Flipendo_!”

Merula was knocked over by the spell and stared at Tulip almost in shock when she was on the floor.

“Tulip! What are you doing?” Tonks asked, surprised her best friend would so something like that.

Merula got back on her feet and glared at Tulip. “You want to fight? Well, all right then. We will fight!” She raised her wand. “ _Depulso_!”

Tulip was sent flying back, but she definitely wasn’t done fighting back. “Do you think one spell would make me stop? You have got to be kidding me, Snyde.” She muttered when she got back on her feet again.

“Oh, I wasn’t expecting less from a back stabber like yourself.” Merula hissed.

“At least I don’t use people like you do, Snyde.” Tulip hissed.

They both seemed to be ready to throw another spell at each other.

“Miss Karasu and Miss Snyde…”

They both turned and noticed Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick had witnessed their fight.

“Professor Snape.” Merula said, looking slightly down.

“Professor Flitwick.” Tulip mumbled, not daring to look into the professor’s eyes right now.

“You both know using magic on the schoolgrounds is not permitted.” Professor Flitwick said.

“10 points from Slytherin…” Professor Snape said.

“And 10 points from Ravenclaw.” Professor Flitwick said, shaking his head slightly.

“Also, you both will be serving detention with me tonight.” Snape said.

 

“Well, thank you, Karasu. We got in trouble because you decided to do _foolish wand waving_.” Merula muttered, rolling her eyes when both the professors left.

“ _Me_? You weren’t being a Saint either, Snyde!” Tulip hissed.

"Funny, you are saying the exact same thing I said to you earlier. You are not as creative as I thought."

"Shut up!"

“Tulip, calm down!” Tonks said, stepping between Tulip and Merula.

“Merula, let’s go. She is not worth your time.” Ismelda said, looking at Merula.

“Fine…” Merula grumbled. “See you at detention, Karasu…”

“Can’t wait…” Tulip rolled her eyes, not even looking when Merula and Ismelda walked away.

“Tulip, what in Merlin’s name came over you? Normally, you would deal with it by pranking someone who is bothering you. It’s not like you to suddenly start a fight, not even with Merula…!” Tonks said surprised.

“I don’t know, okay?” Tulip snapped. “It just happened.”

Rowan gave Tulip a worried look. “You know you can tell us when something is going on, right?”

“Nothing is going on!” Tulip snapped and then she sighed. “Just forget about it, all right…?”

“Tulip, come on.” Tonks said, placing a hand on Tulip’s shoulder.

Tulip pulled her shoulder away and shook her head. “Just… Just leave me alone for now. I need some time to think…” She muttered when she walked away.

 

“I have never seen Tulip like that before…” Penny said softly.

“Me neither.” Tonks admitted, frowning a bit. “I hope she is willing to talk about it soon.”

“Perhaps we just have to be patient. If she wants to tell us, she will. I’m sure of it.” Rowan said. “Lots of things are going on after all.”

“That’s true. I think most of the people within our group of friends are dealing with something…” Penny admitted.

“I guess so.” Tonks nodded lightly. “I just wish things weren’t so complicated at this point.”

 

* * *

 

Was it your fault your friends were being targeted by the Curse? The question was haunting you the entire day. You wondered if things would be better if you just disappeared. However, you were pretty sure if you disappeared, R would find you and make you their personal Seer. It would also be dangerous, you were sure of it. It seemed like the only way you would not be danger to others is to fight the Curse and R. Still, you had no clue how to do it. You just hoped you wouldn't experience any visions when you were already in a dangerous situation.

You had been spending the majority of the day in Jacob’s study, reading about Seers and breaking curses. You wanted to work harder in order to save the students and fight the people who have driven Jacob mad. Your vision made it clear Jacob had no say in what happened to him. They manipulated him, letting him become one of their members and do some of their work. They tried to turn Jacob into one of them… They tried to make him appear to be manipulative. If they caught you, would they do the same to you or act like you are their prized possession? You grimaced and shook your head. You didn’t want to think about it… Whatever they wanted to do with you wasn’t a good thing.

 

You blinked when the door to Jacob’s study opened. You turned around to see who was there.

“Sorry, I didn’t know the room was occupied.”

You shook your head. “It’s fine, Tulip. You can come in.” You gave her a small smile.

Tulip sighed and then she walked in. “Is this where you have been disappearing to most of the time?”

“I suppose so.” You said honestly. “It’s pretty quiet and it is easier to focus on things.”

“I know. I often use this room to focus on things myself.” Tulip admitted. “Especially after, well... You know what I mean…”

“After you and Merula stopped being friends?”

“Yeah…” Tulip rubbed the back of her neck.

You weren’t sure what it was, but you could tell Tulip was troubled. “If you want to talk to me, you should know I’ll be there to listen to you.”

Tulip sighed softly. “I know.”

You gathered your stuff and gave Tulip a smile. “I think you need the room more than I do at this point.”

“ _Y/N_ , you don’t have to…”

“It is fine, really. I have been here for a while. I don’t think it is healthy if I spend even more hours here.”

 

“ _Y/N_ , do you know if it is possible to love and hate a person at the same time?”

You blinked when Tulip asked you that. “Well… I think so? I mean, they say love and hate aren’t so different from each other.”

“But what do _you_ think? I know what people say about it, but I want your opinion about it.” Tulip mumbled.

“I suppose it is possible to hate and love someone at the same time. Sometimes, people do things that makes you very angry, but at the same time you know you are only angry because you care about that person.” You said honestly. “I mean, I have been pretty angry when Jacob disappeared, you know? Still, no matter how much I hated him for leaving me alone, I still love him. He is my brother after all.”

“So, it is possible… At least for love between family members.” Tulip said softly.

“I think it could apply to other kinds of love. It was just an example after all.”

“Also, between two enemies?”

“Tulip, are you talking about who I think you are talking about?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Please, don’t tell anyone we talked about this…! Especially not to… You know who I mean...!” Tulip begged.

“Don't worry, I will keep my mouth shut, Tulip.” You promised.

“Thanks, _Y/N_ …”

 

* * *

 

“Mr. _Y/L/N_ , we here for a few more tests today.” A Healer said when she approached Jacob.

“Doesn’t my son have had enough tests for today?” Your mother, Mrs. _Y/L/N_ asked.

“As long as we don’t know exactly what is going on with your son, we will have to keep testing him.” The Healer said.

Your mother sighed and then she looked at her son. “First, he disappeared after his wand was snapped, then my daughter is revealed to be a Seer, and my son might not have been in charge of his actions for quite a while now! This is all getting quite ridiculous.” She muttered. “The family’s name is becoming a joke.”

“I understand your frustrations, Mrs. _Y/L/N_ , but you have to be patient. If we are right, we can prove your son is innocent. At least, we can prove people have driven him mad.”

“What are the chances you find that prove?”

“There seems to be some damage to the brain, but it will take a little while before we can find all the prove for it.”

“They will come for me.” Jacob mumbled.

“Jacob?” Your mother said softly, looking at her son.

“They will come for me, they won’t stop looking for me.” He mumbled.

“Who are looking for you, Mr. _Y/L/N_?”

“R.” He mumbled.

 

“Jacob, you have to explain what is R is.” Your mother said to Jacob.

“I can’t say…Too dangerous...” Jacob mumbled.

“Jacob, you have to! If you don’t want to end up in Azkaban, you have to!” Your mother nearly yelled.

“Mrs. _Y/L/N_ , this is not going to help your son.” The Healer said.

“If he is not talking, he risks to be sent to Azkaban…!”

“As long as we are examining him, he will not be sent anywhere.” The Healer promised.

“They will murder me if I tell you.” Jacob muttered. “They also want _Y/N_.”

“Why do they want your sister, Jacob?” Your mom frowned.

“Future…” He mumbled.

“Future?” Your mother looked slightly confused.

“They want your sister because she is a Seer?” The Healer asked.

“They want her to be theirs…” He mumbled. “They think it will give them an advantage...”

The Healer looked at your mother. “Does the school know about this?”

“I believe the Headmaster and Mrs. Rakepick know about it. My daughter has told the same thing during the trial.” Your mother said. “Jacob has told my daughter about this before.”

“All right, I just want to be sure.” The Healer said. “The last Seer that has been serving people as their Personal Seer is still recovering from the traumatic experience…”

 

* * *

 

Barnaby had found you sitting nearby the Black Lake, staring at the water. He hesitated before he walked over to you.

You slowly looked up when you noticed someone was standing next to you. “Oh, hey.” You said softly before you looked at the water again.

“Hey.” He greeted before he sat down next to you. “Rowan said she couldn’t find you this morning. She seemed to be a little worried.”

“I just woke up very early.” You said softly.

He nodded and then he looked at the water as well. “It’s quite nice out here.”

“It really is… It is also pretty quiet most of the times.”

“Did you hear more about Jacob’s progress in St. Mungo?”

You nodded. “He is talking, but not much apparently.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Barnaby looked at you again.

You looked back at him and nodded. “I suppose so. I mean, if my vision is right, Jacob was driven insane by these people. It wasn’t really his fault he did bad things. However, there are still things that don't make any sense.”

“Like what?”

“How long they have had contact with Jacob…? I mean, did they make contact with him to look for the Cursed Vaults or did he find out about the vaults by accident?”

 

“I haven’t thought about that…” Barnaby said honestly. “You might be onto something.”

“You think so?” You asked him, tilting your head.

“Well, if R has been contacting your brother about the Cursed Vaults before he even went looking for them, doesn’t that make him completely innocent in this matter?” He said.

“Maybe… Then again, Jacob did have a passion for breaking curses before he went to Hogwarts. He loved reading about Curse-Breakers.”

“So, he might have initiated the search and then got corrupted by R?”

“That’s the other possibility… At least, these people have been spying on Jacob, just like they are spying on me.” You frowned slightly.

“I just don’t know how they spy on us…” Barnaby said honestly.

“I think they use students for that.” You said softly. “I mean, they used Ben for a while.”

“Hm… So, they might have cursed students to spy for them?”

“It is a possibility… Or they disguise themselves as students… I think there are multiple ways they could have spied on me.” You mumbled and then you shook your head. Maybe you needed a break. Maybe you should focus on something fun for once…

 

“Let’s change the topic.” You said quickly. “I probably have been frowning way too much since I came back to Hogwarts.”

“What do you want to talk about?” Barnaby asked. “I mean, there are a few things I could come up with, but I’m not sure if you would like them.”

“Anything, but the Cursed Vaults, Jacob or R is fine to me.” You said with a small smile. “Just something to keep my mind off things. Besides, you have done a great job with cheering me up so far.”

“Oh… I… Well, I’m glad to hear I have managed to cheer you up.” He blushed slightly and gave you a bright smile. “So, you heard about the Hippogriff Professor Kettleburn has managed to bring to the school for Care of Magical Creatures?”

“Does this story include a Professor Kettleburn in the Hospital Wing?” You asked.

“Well, it was close.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hagrid was there to help him though, so no one has got hurt.”

 

You and Barnaby had been talking to each other for quite a while before you two were interrupted by two of your friends who ran over to you; Penny and Andre.

“Hey you two.” You greeted with a small smile.

“Hey guys.” Barnaby said as well, wondering why these two were smiling so much.

“You guys have missed the announcement in the Great Hall.” Penny said, sounding a bit excited.

“Announcement? What announcement?” You asked.

“Do you want to tell them or should I?” Penny asked Andre.

“You can tell them.” Andre said amused.

“All right, you have both caught my attention, so what is going on?” You asked.

“They announced the upcoming ball!” Penny said with a smile.

You blinked before you raised an eyebrow. “A ball?”

“Yes, a ball before the Holidays. He thought a nice event would be in order.” Andre said.

“Does that mean we have to get dates for the ball?” Barnaby asked.

“Obviously.” Andre said, rolling his eyes in amusement. “I probably have to give you all some fashion advice before the ball. I mean, I want you all to look fantastic when you attend the ball.”

 

“Aren’t you excited about this _Y/N_?” Penny asked with a smile.

“It definitely is something to keep your mind off things.” Andre said.

You really had no idea what to think about this. Could you actually enjoy a ball with everything else that was going on? And who would ask you for the ball?


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey Rowan, where is _Y/N_?” Penny asked when Rowan walked over by herself to the group in the Great Hall.

“She is currently not at Hogwarts.” Rowan said, before realising it might make everyone worried. “I mean, she is at St. Mungo, visiting Jacob. Nothing bad happened to her.” She quickly said.

“Merlin's beard... For a moment I thought something happened to _Y/N_ , Ro.” Tonks said, giving Rowan a small grin.

“Still, it is kind of sudden, don’t you think so?” Tulip pointed out. “When did she decide to go to Jacob in St. Mungo?”

“I believe last night. She got a letter from her mother and then she went to ask Dumbledore for permission to visit Jacob.” Rowan said. “It probably was important if she needed to be there today.”

“Only her mother sent her a letter? Not both her parents?” Bill asked.

“Her father seems to have a tough time dealing with… Well, everything that is happening in the family. So, he is sort of unable to visit Jacob or talk to _Y/N_ as far as I know from _Y/N_.” Rowan said, looking slightly unsure if she got what you meant when you told her about it. “As for her mom, well, according to _Y/N_ , things between her and her mom are still quite uneasy.”

 

“Of course, what do you expect? Her parents both told her the ability to see the future was rubbish and non-existing.” Tulip said, frowning.

“Not to mention, _Y/N_ doesn’t really see her parents as her family.” Barnaby said honestly.

“Also, not surprising, knowing her parents also work for the Ministry of Magic. People in the Ministry are always too busy for anything…” Tulip muttered.

“Merlin, Tulip. Are you in a bad mood today?” Penny asked, looking slightly concerned at the Ravenclaw.

“I have detention with Snyde later… I'm really **not** looking forward to that...” Tulip said, shaking her head. “Just don’t mind me, all right?”

Tonks gave Tulip a weird look, wondering what was going on with her best friend. Then she looked at the rest of the group and put on a mischievous look. “So, I’ll be heading to Zonko’s later, does anybody need something from there?”

Bill, Rowan and Penny all shook their heads.

“I don’t think so?” Barnaby said, looking slightly unsure.

“If you could get me some Dungbombs, that would be great.” Tulip said, giving Tonks a small smile.

“You’ve got it, girl.” Tonks said with a grin, glad that her friend didn’t act completely off.

 

Charlie and Andre both walked over to the table with a grin on their faces.

“What have got you in such a good mood today?” Penny asked with a giggle.

“Oh, we are just excited about the Quidditch match of tonight.” Charlie said.

“It’s going to be the match of the year. Ravenclaw against Gryffindor.” Andre said with a grin. “You guys will watch our match, right?”

“Of course.” Penny smiled.

“We’ll be there to root for you.” Tonks said with wink.

“You better win when I come to watch your match, Andre Egwu.” Tulip said slightly amused.

“It might not be the easiest task, but Ravenclaw definitely has a shot against Gryffindor.” Andre said with a chuckle.

“Don’t get too cocky, Andre. I mean, Gryffindor has also trained hard for the match.” Charlie said amused.

“I have no doubt about that, but I suppose we will see who wins the match tonight.”

“At least your team plays fair compared to Slytherin.”

“They can be quite sneaky… Although, the match against Slytherin went pretty all right.”

“Yeah, they are probably worse to us, because of the Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry.” Charlie shrugged.

Tonks leaned closer to Penny. “I bet they will keep talking about the Quidditch match until they have actually played the match.” She whispered.

 “I suppose so.” Penny nodded. “I just wonder how things are with _Y/N_.”

 

* * *

 

You sat on a chair next to Jacob’s bed. Your mother had basically left when you had arrived, saying you could look after Jacob for a while. You were certain she was going to work for a few hours, not wanting to stop working just to make sure things were going all right with her son.

Jacob had seen you, but he didn’t say a word. You kind of expected him not to say anything, but after you heard he had spoken to a Healer and your mom, you kind of hoped he would say something to you as well.

“I wish you would tell me something about your time with R, Jacob.” You mumbled. “My vision suggested you have been driven insane… If you could just confirm it then I know you never meant to join the dark side… Also, you won't have to go to Azkaban if the Ministry knows you weren't in control of your actions.”

Of course, Jacob decided not to say a word. He just glanced at you before he began staring at the ceiling.

“Thanks for the help, Jacob.” You mumbled sarcastically. “Then again, I know you can’t help it. You barely spoke to anyone since you have been sent here.”

He once again looked at you, but he didn’t talk.

You sighed and then you stood up. “I will be right back. I’m getting some tea.” You told Jacob before you left his room.

 

You passed some other rooms on your way to get something to drink. From some rooms you could hear some screaming, from others you just didn’t hear anything. Still, it wasn’t pleasant to walk in this hallway. You knew the people in this hallway mostly had mental issues that needed to be treated. Well, if they could be treated.

“ _Pssst_ … Young lady.”

You blinked and stopped walking, seeing an old woman pointing at you. She was quite thin and she looked quite fragile. She kept her eyes closed, like she didn't want to open her eyes. “Are you talking to me?” You asked, thinking she might have mistaken you for a Healer.

“Of course. Who else is here?” The old woman said, like it was obvious she was talking to you.

You looked around and noticed you were indeed the only one there. "I think you might have mistaken me for someone else. I could look for a Healer if you need one."

"No, I was looking for you, not a Healer." She laughed softly. “You probably think, what does this crazy old woman want from me, but I think it would be good if you listen to me for a moment.”

You raised an eyebrow. Why would she be looking for you? You definitely didn't know her and she probably didn't even know who you were either. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk to anyone besides my brother…”

“I’m pretty sure you have broken the rules before, _Y/N_.” She said with a grin.

You were surprised when she said your name. “You have heard of me?”

“Well, you are the younger sister of Jacob _Y/L/N_. Your name has come across here a few times, especially after his trial.”

Of course, the articles about the trial have mentioned your name multiple times. Your face was probably pretty known by now.

 

“Also, I have foreseen your arrival here. Your mother asked you to come and visit Jacob so she could work for a little while, isn’t that right?” The old woman said.

You were surprised once again. She couldn't have known that by reading an article... “Wait… Did you say you have foreseen my arrival here?”

“I did. I am a Seer after all. Just like you are.” She said with a smile. She opened her eyelids, which revealed two empty eye sockets. It was obvious why the woman was keeping her eyes closed. She was missing both her eyes! You were certain if a little child saw her opening her eyes, they would be terrified.

' _Another Seer… What is she doing at St. Mungo?_ ' She wanted to tell you something, you were sure of it. Why else did she ask you to listen to her?

“You are in danger, girl.” She told you. “This organisation, R, is after you. You really have to watch your back at all times. You don’t want to end up like me after all.”

You were certain she was an actual Seer. Who else would know about R? She wouldn’t have known it if she hadn’t heard the name somewhere else, probably in a vision. “What… What do you mean with ending up like you?”

“Well, have you heard about Personal Seers?”

Your eyes widened. “You… You were a personal Seer?”

“For almost four decades.” She nodded. “Why else do you think I am here? I’m still not over the whole thing. My mind isn’t what it was anymore. Then again, such things happen when someone has full control over you.”

 

“I know you are looking for more information about it, in order to prevent it from happening to you, _Y/N_. I wish there was a way to prevent yourself from becoming mad, but as far as I know, there is no cure for the experience.” The old woman said with a smile. “Although, I can definitely share my experience with you. Maybe you can use the information for something…”

You knew you would have to return to Jacob, but you couldn’t just say no to this. This was important to you and she could tell you a lot about being a Seer. Before you could answer her, a Healer walked over.

“Mrs. White, you shouldn’t be out of your room.” The Healer said. “And you definitely shouldn’t bother this young lady.”

“I can assure you I wasn’t bothering. I was just trying to give her some good advice.” The old woman, Mrs. White said.

“You know the rules…” The Healer said.

“But this young lady needs all the advice she could get. She is the one who is in danger of ending up in the same situation I was in.” Mrs. White said.

 

The Healer looked at you. “Are you Jacob’s younger sister?” She asked. You could see a hint of concern in her eyes

You nodded. “Yeah…” You said softly before you gave the Healer an apologetic smile. “I should probably head back to him, just in case…” You said, wanting to get away.

“Don’t take your own eyes out! I thought it would stop the visions, but they kept coming anyways!” Mrs. White said loudly enough for you to hear.

“Mrs. White!” The Healer scolded the older woman, thinking it would scare you.

“What? Like I said, she needs all the advice she can get.”

You just kept walking away, not sure what to think at this point.

 

* * *

 

“That was a nice match to watch.” Penny said with a smile.

“I bet there is a party in the Common room right now.” Tulip said with a grin. “Maybe I could let you in to celebrate with all the Ravenclaws.”

“Sounds tempting.” Tonks said with a grin.

“You should come.” Tulip said. “It's a good way to forget the terrible detention with Snyde.”

“Was it really _that_ terrible?” Penny asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Just because Snape seems to like you as a student, doesn’t mean he likes the rest of us. Although, he wasn’t being nice to Snyde either.” Tulip shrugged. “We had to clean all the cauldrons.”

“Of course. He always seems to do that whenever people have detention.” Tonks said, rolling her eyes. “I’d rather work in the Kitchens, like _Y/N_ has to do when she has to go to detention.”

“I’m not sure… Pitts isn’t the nicest either.” Tulip pointed out. “Then again, no one is nice in detention.”

“Maybe if you didn’t prank so much, you wouldn’t be in detention so often.” Penny said, shaking her head.

“But what is fun about that, Penny?” Tonks smirked, wrapping an arm around Penny’s shoulder.

“We need to have some fun when we are here. Besides, Hogwarts would get really boring without our pranks.” Tulip said amused, wrapping an arm around Penny’s other shoulder.

 

Penny was about to say something, until she saw someone familiar. “Hey, isn’t that _Y/N_?”

Tulip and Tonks both looked at the same direction as Penny and they both looked surprised.

“I think that really is _Y/N_.” Tonks said.

“I didn’t think she would be back by now.” Tulip said honestly. “Let’s ask her about how things were going with Jacob.”

“Do you think she wants to talk about that now? Maybe something happened and she has to let it all sink in.” Penny said, feeling slightly concerned.

“Well, if something happened, she probably shouldn’t be left alone with her thoughts, don’t you think so?” Tonks looked at them both.

“We’ll just go over to her and ask how things went. If she doesn’t want to talk about the details, we can ask her another time.” Tulip suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Penny said honestly.

The Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaw were about to walk over when suddenly a guy walks over to you. They all stopped walking and blinked for a moment.

“Is that the guy who has been bothering her?” Penny asked.

“I don’t know, I mean, we have never seen someone bothering _Y/N_.” Tonks said.

“I’m pretty sure this is not the guy who has been bothering _Y/N_. That guy was older and this is Jae Kim from our year.” Tulip explained.

 

“You know, I haven’t seen you in detention for a while.” Jae said with a grin. “Did you actually manage to talk yourself out of detention?”

You grinned lightly. “Some stuff happened and they tried to make my punishment lighter.” You explained.

Jae nodded. “I see. So, it’s because of the whole Seer thing?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“That makes sense. It sounds like a lot to deal with at once. Still, detention is less interesting without you. I mean, who else has almost driven Pitts mad by acting like you enjoyed detention in the Kitchens?” Jae laughed.

“Well, you probably will still see me there sometimes. I mean, they just made my punishment lighter. It's not like they said I don't have to go to detention at all.”

“I wish they would consider to lighten my punishment, but then I probably can’t make good deals with people anymore.”

“Well, I suppose your stuff is supposed to fully legal if you want a lighter punishment.” You said amused.

“Exactly, and that won’t make me able to make good deals with people here in Hogwarts.” Jae grinned.

“That would be a shame. Where else would students get their rare goods from if you aren’t able to get those goods for them?”

“You have got the point of my whole business, _Y/N_.” He said amused. “Well, it was good seeing you outside of detention. Now, I have some work to do.” He said with a wink before he walked away.

 

“You never told us you were acquainted with Jae Kim.”

You turned around and saw Tulip, Penny and Tonks walking over to you. “Oh, Jae and I know each other from detentions in the Kitchens.”

“Oh, that’s true. Jae also has detention a lot. I just didn’t know you two knew each other.” Tonks said.

“We’re friends, I guess. At least, we sort of try to make detentions with Pitts a little more interesting.” You said slightly amused. “Besides, it’s not like I never saw Jae before. After all, he is in our year.”

“That’s true, we sort of know who is in our year and who is not.” Penny pointed out.

“I suppose that’s true.” Tulip said and then she gave you a concerned look. “Anyways, how was your time at St. Mungo’s Hospital?” She asked.

You frowned slightly. “Well… It wasn’t very pleasant, that’s for sure… My mom basically left once I arrived, so she could go to work. I tried to talk to Jacob, since he apparently has talked not too long ago, but of course, he didn’t speak when I was there.” You sighed.

“Sounds pretty awful…” Penny said honestly.

“It was a weird experience.” You said with a shrug.

 

“Did anything else happen?” Tulip asked.

You nodded. “Well, sort of…”

“Sort of?” Tonks looked slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

“Well, it was kind of a strange experience. I mean, I should have expected to see some weird things, since Jacob is in the ward of mental issues, but it was just strange... You see, I came across a woman, who got my attention.” You said softly.

“What woman? What was strange about this woman?” Tulip asked.

“Well, she was an old woman and she didn’t have her eyes anymore…” You said.

“She was blind?” Penny asked.

“She literally didn’t have eyes, like you were staring into empty eye sockets.” You explained.

Penny made a face like she didn’t find the image she had of this woman pleasant.

“Anyways, she suddenly called out to me. At that point I didn’t notice she anything strange, because her eyes were closed. I thought she probably mistook me for somebody else. I mean, I didn't know her and she would only kind of know who I was because of the Daily Prophet."

“So, what made the encounter with this lady so strange?” Tonks asked. “Besides the missing eyes.”

“She was a Seer.” You said seriously.

“A Seer?” Penny said surprised.

“Can Seers sense other Seers? I mean, that would be a cool ability.” Tonks said.

“Not that I know of.” You said.

 

“Anyways, that’s not the point. Apparently, she has been a Personal Seer for almost four decades…!” You told them.

The three of them looked surprised, not expecting you to say that.

“Wait, so the older lady said she was a Personal Seer and she suddenly came over to you?” Tonks asked.

“That definitely wasn't a coincidence…” Tulip said honestly. “She must have seen or sensed something that involved you, _Y/N_.”

“Well, she basically told me she had foreseen my arrival." You mumbled, frowning a bit. "She seemed to be sure I am in danger of becoming a Personal Seer, saying there is no cure for becoming mad because she was still in St. Mungo’s to be cured.”

“There is no way we are just going to let you get taken away by R and let you become their Personal Seer.” Tulip said determined.

You wished it was as easy as Tulip made it sound. Perhaps you were already doomed. Maybe you couldn’t change the future…

 

* * *

 

“So, the Celestial Ball is coming up and we probably should prepare ourselves for that.” Penny said, hoping she could lift the mood.

Everyone was stressed about something. Some of them were worried about the curse that trapped students inside paintings and others were worried about what R wanted. You were worried about both these things and there was also Tulip who was confused about her feelings.

Andre nodded. “Yes, we definitely should prepare ourselves for it. How about I help the guys with picking out a good outfit for the ball?”

“Why can’t we pick out our own outfits?” Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No offense, Charlie, but I think I have the best taste in fashion here.” Andre said. “And you want to look good, don’t you?”

Charlie rolled his eyes, grinning slightly. “Well, fine. I guess you have the most knowledge about fashion here.”

“Great, then I will help the girls with their outfits.” Penny said with a grin.

Tonks let out a fake gasp. “What? Don’t you trust us to pick out something good either? I’m hurt, Penny.”

“Come on, Tonks.” Penny rolled her eyes.

Tonks laughed. “Relax, Pens. I’m pretty sure you are the most suited person to help us out with finding the right outfits for us girls.”

 

“I’m not sure if I’m going…” Ben mumbled softly.

Andre looked at Ben and raised an eyebrow. “What? Why not?”

“What if I can’t find a date?” Ben asked. “Besides, I’m not the best at dancing either…”

“Nonsense, Ben! Believe me, everything will turn out to be okay.” Andre said.

“What if I go with you, Ben?” Penny suggested.

Everyone looked at Penny surprised.

“What?” Penny asked, looking a little confused by everyone’s reaction.

“Penny, you don’t have to go with me out of pity…” Ben said softly.

“But I want to.” Penny said with a smile.

Ben looked even more surprised. “Well, i-if you really want to, then I would like to go with you as well.” He said blushing.

“Great, then it is a date.” Penny said with a smile.

“It seems like you will have to get a nice suit after all, Ben. Especially because you have a great date.” Andre said amused.

“Well, I suppose Ben is the first one of the guys to score a date.” Charlie said.

“Wrong, Charlie. I already asked someone.” Andre said with a big grin.

Charlie’s jaw almost dropped. “What? Since when?”

“Yesterday.” He said amused.

“I guess I have to hurry before everyone is taken.” Charlie said.

“Oh please, I’m pretty sure many people would love to go with you.” Andre said honestly. “Who doesn’t want to go to the ball with a Gryffindor Seeker?”

“Probably most Slytherins.” Rowan pointed out.

“You have got a point…” Andre said honestly.

 

“ _Y/N_ , who do you want to be your date for the ball?” Penny asked.

Everyone looked at you, waiting for an answer.

“Oh… Well, I do have someone in mind, but I’m not going to tell you yet.” You said slightly amused.

“So unfair, _Y/N_.” Tonks said slightly amused. “But then again, I have no clue who I should go with.”

“Maybe she isn’t saying it because it is one of us.” Tulip smirked.

“Maybe, but maybe not. I’m not saying anything.” You said, smirking slightly.

“I suppose we should just focus on finding dates before everyone is taken.” Rowan pointed out.

“You are right, Rowan Khanna. We should begin looking.” Tulip said with a sigh. “Well then, Tonks, let’s look around, shall we?”

“All right, let’s do that.” Tonks said with a grin.

Tonks and Tulip left the group and everyone seemed to be thinking about something.

“Maybe we should also start looking for dates like them?” Rowan suggested, feeling slightly unsure.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it depends on how you want to find a date, right?”

“ _Y/N_ is right. It depends on how you want to find someone.” Bill agreed.

 

“I’m pretty sure we all be able to find someone for the ball; however, I really need to start studying for my O.W.L.s. All the stuff that is going on is making it hard for me to study.” You said when you stood up.

“Oh, if you need help with studying, I can come along.” Rowan said. “I need to be studying as well.”

“It’s probably better if I do the same thing.” Barnaby said. “I mean, it takes a bit longer for me to understand everything I have to know.”

“All right, let’s go to the library then.” You said with a smile.

Bill also stood up. “I also have to study for my N.E.W.T.s, I will come along too.”

“Great! Andre, Penny, Charlie and Ben, do you also want to come along?” You asked.

“No, thanks, _Y/N_. I have something else to do.” Andre said.

“Yeah, me too.” Penny said honestly.

“Maybe later.” Charlie said. “I promised to visit Hagrid.”

“I promised Flitwick to help some first years with Charms…” Ben said softly.

You nodded. “All right, I guess we will see you guys later.” You waved goodbye to them before you walked towards the library with Bill, Rowan and Barnaby.

 

* * *

 

A few nights later, Rowan had noticed you weren’t in your bed anymore. She looked around the dormitory, wondering where you were. She didn’t want to assume something bad had happened, but she also knew about this vision where you would encounter R. She quickly got out of the dormitory, thinking you might have gone to the Common Room. However, when she reached the Common Room, she still couldn’t find you. Why would you be out of the Common Room at night? She slowly began to panic more, wondering you might have had another vision and rushed out of the dormitory to prevent it from happening. Just like you did when you had the vision about Bill.

She considered to call a teacher for help, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. Maybe a Prefect had seen you? Perhaps Bill has already seen you. She thought about warning the others, thinking they might know where you were. It wasn’t until she laid eyes on a letter that was left behind on one of the couches.

 

 

 

 

 

> _‘Dear Y/N Y/L/N,_
> 
> _It would be easier if you just turn yourself in to us. We do not wish to harm you, for your gift is truly important to us. We promise we will take good care of you as long as you serve us as our Personal Seer. We even promise to bring Jacob back for you, so you will have your brother back._
> 
> _-R’_

 

Rowan immediately feared the worst. Were you looking for them on your own? Did you turn yourself in? She couldn’t do nothing with this information. She needed to know where you were, thinking you might be doing something dangerous.

“Rowan?”

She turned around to see you walk into the Common Room. “ _Y/N_! You are still here!”

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The letter! I thought…”

“You thought I would just turn myself in?”

“I… Well…”

You sighed softly. “Rowan, I’m not going to turn myself in. That would be stupid. Besides, I was just out because I was asked to help the other Prefects when they thought they saw something suspicious.”

Rowan stared for a moment. Then she sighed in relief, glad you didn’t do anything dangerous. “Thank Merlin… I just couldn’t help but to think about that one vision you had…”

“Sorry if I gave you a heart attack, Rowan. I should have put the letter away before getting out of the Common Room.” You said honestly. “I probably should give this to Madam Rakepick tomorrow. I promised her to keep her informed about the situation.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to give it directly to Professor Dumbledore?”

“Maybe, but I think it is easier to reach Dumbledore via Rakepick, I mean, Dumbledore is a busy man.” You mumbled honestly.

 

“Let’s go back to bed, shall we? We have a lot of things to do tomorrow.” You suggested.

Rowan nodded. “All right.” She said when you both headed back to the dormitory.


	6. Chapter 6

With the Celestial Ball approaching, everyone in the castle has been acting quite differently. It seemed like everyone was checking each other out, trying to make a decision who they wanted to take as their date. You were certain most people have asked someone to be their date for the ball. However, you couldn’t actually tell if that was the case. You knew you would probably have to hurry up and ask someone yourself, but you never felt like the timing was right. Every time you wanted to ask that someone, something came up. It was like you never had the chance to be alone with this person and it kind of worried you. Maybe it would be better if you didn’t go?

The ball wasn't the only thing that was on your mind. There were too many things on your mind and it was impossible to focus on one thing properly at the moment. You were thinking about the letter R sent you, your brother, the students that were stuck inside the paintings and your ability to see the future. Rowan kept telling you the ball was a good distraction for everybody, telling you it would be good if you relaxed. Still, you couldn’t get everything out of your head just because the ball was coming up. You wondered how many of your friends actually would be able to relax because of the ball… The whole preparation for the ball already seemed to be stressful and you felt like it would only get worse. 

 

You were on your way to Flying class. Your friends kept a close eye on you during this class for a good reason. It wasn't like your flying skills were bad, but since you could experience visions everyone was worried you might fall off your broom. Once, you had nearly fallen off your broom during class back when nobody knew you were a Seer. If it wasn’t for Charlie and Andre, you would have spent the day in the Hospital Wing. You were pretty certain Madam Hooch was also keeping an extra eye on you.

Once you got on the Training Grounds, you noticed you were quite early. You noticed only a few students and Andre were there. You walked over to Andre and gave him a smile. “Hey Andre.”

Andre turned to you and smiled. “Hello there, Curse-Breaker. You are quite early.”

“I could say the same thing to you, but then again, you love Flying Classes.” You grinned.

“Well, it gives me time to practice some techniques for Quidditch and Madam Hooch likes it when I help other students.”

“You are good at teaching flying techniques to other students, I mean, you have showed us quite some things during Flying Class.”

“I’m glad you think I’m good at teaching some flying techniques. It also gives me some insights if someone of Ravenclaw could join the Quidditch team.”

 

A little later, everyone was there and the Flying Class began. A few techniques were practiced before Madam Hooch let everyone tend the brooms. You were kind lost in your thoughts when you were tending your broom, until someone was trying to catch your attention. You quickly looked towards the person who was trying to catch your attention. It was one of your classmates, someone you could only recognise from classes.

“Is it true you have seen the answers for the O.W.L.s?” The classmate asked.

You raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“People said you have seen the answers in one of your visions.”

' _Not this again..._ ' You sighed. “I never had a vision about our O.W.L.s.”

“Oh…”

Another classmate rolled their eyes. “Well, if you could predict the answers, could you share them with us?”

“I can’t predict test answers.” You were annoyed people still thought you would be able to predict test answers.

“But you are a Seer!”

“So, every Seer can predict test answers?” Tulip asked the classmate. “Well, why don’t you go bother Professor Trelawney about test answers instead?”

The classmate became silent and began focusing on tending their broom again.

People still seemed to think you could just predict everything. You couldn’t even control your visions, so why did people assume you would be able to tell them everything about their future?

 

* * *

 

 

“Bloody annoying, those people…” Tulip muttered. “They seem to think you are some kind of fortune teller or something!”

“Well, I’d rather be a fortune teller than having visions about bad things that could happen.” You said honestly.

“It does make you aware of all the dangers you will be facing.” Rowan said. “Besides, you saved Bill from getting stuck inside a painting.”

“And you have found your brother and got him away from R.” Charlie said.

You sighed softly. “Even though those are good things, seeing those visions are terrifying…”

“All advantages have their disadvantages.” Rowan said honestly.

“I don’t think that is going to reassure _Y/N_ about the positive role of being a Seer, Rowan…” Tulip shook her head.

“That’s because the positive role of being a Seer is very little…” You muttered.

“… From how you describe it, it doesn't sound really pleasant.” Tulip said honestly.

“It must be horrible to see bad things happen to people you know.” Penny said softly, biting her lip a bit.

“I wouldn’t be able to deal with it at all.” Ben said honestly.

You grimaced a bit from thinking about all the bad things that came with being a Seer. Being a Seer was not a gift. No, in your opinion it was a curse.

 

“Maybe we should all stop talking about it.” Barnaby suggested, seeing you grimace.

“That would be great.” You mumbled softly, giving Barnaby a look like you thanked him for sensing your discomfort.

“Sorry… It’s probably very annoying this comes up a lot since people found out... well.. You know what I mean.” Tulip said, looking slightly away.

“It’s fine.” You mumbled. “It wasn’t your fault it was brought up again.”

“Seriously, you would think these rumours would stop at one point…” Charlie said, shaking his head.

“It's just because a lot of things happen around _Y/N_ , which makes her a hot topic. People tend to come up with rumours when someone or something is a hot topic.” Andre explained.

“Lucky me.” You rolled your eyes.

"As soon as something big happens that doesn't involve you, they will forget all about those rumours." Andre explained.

"So I just have to hope nothing big happens around me." You sighed, wondering how long it would take before the rumours about you would stop.

“Well… At least things are exciting with you around?” Rowan tried to lighten the mood.

“Exciting or dangerous?” You muttered softly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it all seem so black and white. It’s just that things seemed to have more risks now, like anything could happen… You know what I mean?”

“Like, there is nowhere to be safe?” Rowan said.

“Exactly.”

“Luckily, you are attending the school with the best wizard in the Wizarding World as the Headmaster.” Rowan pointed out. “As long as Professor Dumbledore is around Hogwarts, you will be safe.”

“Mostly safe is more like it.” Tulip said. “It’s not like Dumbledore can be everywhere at the right moment. What if R decides to attack, but makes sure there are two places that are attacked?”

“That’s sounds like a doom scenario, Tulip.” Tonks said, frowning slightly.

“Well, we can’t pretend R is not smart enough to come up with ideas like that.” Tulip said, crossing her arms.

 

“Let’s just go to Care of Magical Creatures and forget what we have discussed. This is not making things easier for us at all.” You said honestly.

Everyone nodded and you all went to your next class, trying to come up with other topics to talk about.

 _‘Besides, I think I might know when a doom scenario is about to happen… At least sort of._ ’ You thought before you joined the conversations with your friends.

 

* * *

 

 

“I think I’m going mad.” You mumbled softly when you were sitting nearby the Black Lake.

“Because of everything that is happening?”

You looked at Barnaby and then you nodded. “So much things are happening at once. I feel like I can’t even focus on one thing at this point. The O.W.L.s, The Cursed Vaults, Jacob, R and then these visions that just come whenever it seems necessary…”

“Yeah, it sounds like quite a lot to take in, even for you.” Barnaby said honestly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh, and I almost forgot the mention the Celestial Ball. Everyone is already stressing out about it and we are just preparing for it...! I feel like it would probably get more stressful once the ball is actually starting.” You muttered.

“It could be a good distraction. Besides, it is meant to be a fun evening where you can spend time with your friends and fellow students.”

“I think I might skip it.”

“What?” Barnaby looked slightly flabbergasted. “Why would you skip it?”

You frowned and looked at the water. “Like I said, I have lots on my mind. I don’t think I’ll be a pleasant person to hang out with during the ball…”

“That’s not true, _Y/N_ … We would like it if you are there at the Celestial Ball.”

“Really? I don’t know if you have realised it, but I have been in a pretty bad mood ever since I have attended my brother’s trial and it definitely didn’t get any better when people proved I am actually a Seer.” You muttered.

 

“I think you have been handling things pretty well, despite of everything that has happened.” Barnaby said honestly.

“Handled what well?” You raised an eyebrow.

“You might have been feeling frustrated, angry or confused, but you haven’t treated anyone badly.”

“That doesn’t mean I have been nice to people either.” You said seriously. “You guys have been so nice to me and I barely even thanked you guys for it…”

“To be honest, you didn’t seem to be very comfortable with the way we acted around you… I think we might have been acting too differently around you when we tried to make it all seem like nothing changed…”

“What does that have to do with my terrible moods?” You muttered. “Just face it, Barnaby. I haven’t been a good friend to anyone lately.”

“You have been a good friend to me.”

“You are making that up. All I have done is complaining about things…”

“And you have been listening to me about how things were going back at my home…”

You looked at him again. “That’s the least I can do for you.” You said honestly.

“Not everybody would do that for me. Really, you are not a bad friend at all.” He said, looking at you.

“It's because there are only a few people who will understand it what is going on in our homes.” You said honestly.

 

You two were both silent for a little while, once again staring at the water. You seemed to understand what he was going through. You knew how badly family members could treat other family members, just to fit in their image.

“I still think you should go.”

“Barnaby…”

“No, you should attend the Celestial Ball. It will be a good distraction for you. I promise.”

You looked at him, giving him a look like you were saying it was better if you didn’t go.

“Would you please do it for me,  _Y/N_?” He tried.

You sighed and then you nodded. “Fine… I’ll go if you want me to go.”

“Great. I promise you it will be nice.” He said with a small smile. “I would love to dance with you.”

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Did I say something weird?” He gave you a confused look.

“You want to dance with me?” You asked.

“Definitely. I mean, I wanted to ask you before, but we often talked about completely different things which would make it kind of weird to ask you…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You don’t have to go with me, I mean if you don’t want-”

“I would love to.” You said honestly.

 

“Really? You actually want to go with me?” Barnaby looked surprised.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I want to go with you?” You asked him.

“I don’t know… I thought you might want someone more… smart?”

“And why would you think that?”

“Because you seem to be a lot smarter than I am?” He said honestly.

“If I was really smart, I probably wouldn’t have got in a lot of trouble, don’t you think so?” You said with a small grin. “Besides, you were the first person who came to my mind when I thought about the Celestial Ball.”

“Really? I was the first person that came up in your mind when you thought about the Celestial Ball?”

“Well… We have been spending more time with each other and I happen to like your presence.” You blushed slightly.

“So, this actually means we are going to the Celestial Ball together ?”

“Yes, that definitely means we will go to the Celestial Ball together.”

 

* * *

 

 

_“Did you hear Barnaby Lee is going with Y/L/N to the Celestial Ball?”_

_“What does she have what I don’t have? I bet he just pitied her and asked her to cheer her up.”_

You had picked up some conversations like that after Barnaby had asked you to go to the Celestial Ball with him. You knew there were quite some people that thought Barnaby was attractive, so you had expected people to come up with rumours about how you got asked by Barnaby.

“Just ignore them, _Y/N_. They are just jealous Barnaby asked you to go to Celestial Ball with him.” Penny said honestly.

“Those girls are acting exactly the same as those guys who are jealous of Ben.” Tonks said slightly amused. “Poor Ben, he probably has no clue how to deal with those guys.”

“Tonks, that’s not funny.” Penny muttered.

“I know it’s not funny, it’s just funny these people are all acting the same when they are jealous.” Tonks said with a grin and then she leaned closer to you. “If you have any troubles with these girls, Tulip and I could prank them.” She whispered.

Penny shook her head and sighed. “Yeah, because pranking these girls would definitely stop these rumours...”

 

“Don’t worry about me, I have been dealing with rumours for most of my time here at Hogwarts.” You said honestly. “Besides, I knew these rumours would come as soon as people heard about it.”

“Well, I’m just glad you are going to the Celestial Ball instead of skipping it.” Tonks said.

“You were thinking about skipping the Celestial Ball? Why? It's going to be one of the biggest events of our time at Hogwarts.” Penny said, looking surprised.

“You should know that the Celestial Ball wasn’t high on my priority list because of everything that happened…” You said honestly.

“I can imagine you have other things on your mind.” Tonks said honestly.

“Still, the Celestial Ball could be a good distraction for you. I think you could have some fun.” Penny said with a smile.

“You have been the third one who told me that.” You said with a small grin.

“Because a little distraction can’t hurt you right now. Believe me, it will be a good thing.” Penny said honestly. “I also need this distraction.”

Of course, Penny was still busy worrying about Beatrice. Poor Beatrice… You wished you had found a way to get the students out of the paintings by now. You felt like you needed to start focusing more on finding a counter-curse, so all the students would be free again.

 

“I’m sorry I haven’t found a counter-curse yet, Penny…” You said honestly. “I promise you we will find a way to get Beatrice out of there.”

“Don’t apologise, _Y/N_. I mean, finding a counter-curse definitely isn't easy… I mean, if Madam Rakepick can’t find one then it is definitely a complicated curse. But I know we will not give up. I’m sure we will find a counter-curse.” Penny said, like she did have some hope left.

You admired Penny’s willpower to keep looking for Beatrice. You knew she was having quite a hard time, but she didn’t really seem to complain much. Sure, she had been crying a lot, however, she never had been acting mean to anyone because of her sadness.

“Let’s try and save both our siblings.” Penny said with a smile. “If Jacob was indeed manipulated by R, there could be a way to turn him back to who he used to be.”

“You know everyone else will help as well, right? We are all in this together.” Tonks said with a smile.

“We will keep working on saving everyone.” You said honestly.

 

* * *

 

 

“Open your inner eye…!”

Professor Trelawney was trying to teach everyone how to crystal-gaze. Only a few of your friends took Divination as a subject. In your third year, you decided to do Divination instead of Arithmancy despite your parents’ complaints about you taking Divination. You weren’t completely comfortable with the subject, because your parents were so sceptical about the subject. However, you managed to do pretty all right most of the times. You were pretty sure; Professor Trelawney had been keeping a better eye on you after the world heard you were a Seer.

You didn’t think gazing in a crystal ball was as helpful as your visions, but a least you could sort of use this on command? You just tried your best, trying to get your mind to relax and see something within the crystal ball.

“You need to clear the mind, dear.” Trelawney said when she looked at you.

You just nodded and sighed softly when you tried to clear your mind. You kind of felt unable to do that today and slowly looked over to your friends.

Charlie seemed to have nearly fallen asleep when he was gazing into the crystal ball, Barnaby looked confused and Ben looked slightly uneasy when he gazed into the crystal ball.

 

“Oh! My boy…” Professor Trelawney said almost terrified when she was standing next to Ben.

Charlie was definitely awake now. He shot up when he basically heard Professor Trelawney yelp when she moved over to Ben.

Ben paled a little, wondering what Trelawney saw. “W-what is it, professor?”

“Be careful during Defence against the Dark Arts… You will probably need to see Madam Pomfrey afterwards.” She said before she walked over to someone else.

Ben looked slightly uneasy, wondering what could happen during Defence against the Dark Arts.

“Don’t worry, Ben. You probably will be fine.” Charlie tried to reassure him.

“Maybe I should have chosen another elective subject after all…” Ben muttered.

“You have been saying that since you chose this course.” Charlie pointed out. “Right, Barnaby?”

“Yeah, many times.” Barnaby agreed.

“Well, maybe I should have listened to myself back then.” Ben muttered.

“Ben, you chose this subject to be prepared for dangerous situations.” Charlie pointed out.

“But knowing what could happen is kind of scary…” Ben said honestly.

“I agree, it is scary.” You said to Ben, giving him a small smile.

Ben gave you an apologetic look. “Sorry _Y/N_ …”

“Don’t be sorry. I just said I agreed.” You said, raising an eyebrow at him. Why did he apologise to you?

“But you experience this more than I do.” He said.

You shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, Ben.” You told him honestly. “Seeing the future can be quite scary, no matter how much you experience it.”

 

You once again looked at the crystal ball, trying to see something in it. Still, you felt like it wasn’t going to work for you during this class.

“ _This shouldn’t be too hard for her…. I mean, she is a Seer, right?_ ” You heard someone in the class say.

Another comment about your ability… You have been hearing these kinds of comments a lot lately and you weren’t sure how long you could be ‘civil’ to these people. You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself down. It was like people were looking for the smallest things to criticise you!

“Are you all right?” Barnaby whispered to you.

“I’m fine, don’t worry…” You told him, trying to give him a smile.

“Are you sure…? I mean, I have seen that expression on your face before and that means like the opposite of what you are telling me right now?”

You were surprised how observant Barnaby has been. Perhaps it was because you two spent more time together than you used to. “It’s nothing to worry about, really…”

He looked unsure and was about to say something, but before he could say something Professor Trelawney told that class was dismissed.

 

Everyone began packing their stuff and left the classroom soon after. You followed Barnaby, Ben and Charlie out of the class.

“Man, I almost fell asleep when I was gazing into the crystal ball. I couldn’t see anything in there.” Charlie said, stretching a bit.

“I wish I could sleep. I’m worried about Defence against the Dark Arts because of this class!” Ben said.

“Aren’t you always worried about Defence against the Dark Arts?” Charlie pointed out.

“Now I’m even more worried… Maybe I should call in sick…?” Ben looked uneasy.

“How can you be sure it is the next class of Defence against the Dark Arts?” You asked.

Ben paled when you said that. “Do... do you mean it could happen another class instead?”

You shot Ben an apologetic look. “I’m not saying anything about it anymore. I don’t want to spook you out even more than you already are.”

“What if Professor Trelawney saw the Grim?” Ben asked, looking panicked.

“If she saw the Grim, then _Y/N_ would have seen something happening to you as well, Ben.” Charlie said.

You grimaced when Charlie said that. You didn’t even want to think about seeing a vision about your friends dying… However, you wouldn’t be surprised if you would have a vision about that. The other visions seemed to warn you for danger, so maybe they would also warn you for death?

 

“You would tell me if that is the case, right _Y/N_?” Ben asked, looking even more scared than he was before.

“I would try to tell you of course, assuming I would be able to see it.” You attempted to calm him down.

Ben looked slightly more assured when you told him that.

You four walked together to the Defence against the Dark Arts class. Barnaby, Ben and Charlie were talking about possible subjects of today’s DADA class while you were thinking about the possibility of having a vision about seeing your friends dying. The thought about it brought chills down your spine and you wondered why people always seemed to think Seers were just gifted.

You didn’t see it as just a gift. It was a gift and a curse at the same time. The visions could happen at any moment. You could be flying and fall of your broom, just because you are experiencing a vision. What if you were duelling someone? They would have the upper hand, because you can’t defend yourself when you experience a vision. And what if you try to stop a vision from becoming a reality, but you can’t? How could you use this ability in your advantage when you weren’t even sure when it is supposed to happen?

 

“ _Oh-oh_ … That looks like trouble...” Charlie said when the four of you approached the classroom.

You realised quickly why Charlie said that. It was hard to miss after all.

Merula and Tulip seemed to be in another fight. They both had their wands pointed at each other and you knew they would both get into big trouble if they didn't stop.

You decided to move through the crowd that was surrounding Merula and Tulip right now. “Tulip, Merula, what are you two doing?”

Merula was glaring when she turned to you. “It’s none of your business, _Y/L/N_.”

“It would be better if you stay out of this, _Y/N Y/L/N_ …” Tulip said seriously, not even glancing at you when she pointed her wand at Merula.

You decided to walk over to Merula, knowing Tulip was about to do something she would regret later on. “Tulip, lower your wand…”

Merula blinked. “Wait, you are helping me?”

“I would appreciate it if you also lower your wand.” You told Merula seriously.

Merula was just slightly confused, but she lowered her wand. “Heh… It seems like _Y/L/N_ seems to prefer to take my side, Karasu.”

You shot Merula a look like you were saying ‘ _really now_?’ before you looked to Tulip. “Tulip, this isn’t going to help you at all… If you just lower your wand then-”

 

“Why are you taking her side?” Tulip glared at you.

You sighed. “Because you seemed to be more serious about attacking Merula than she was about to attack you, Tulip.”

“What? I could have attacked her before she would attack me.” Merula said, frowning.

“Having seen your stance, it seemed like you were taking the defensive route.” You said honestly.

“Of course, _Y/L/N_ is also the duelling expert right now…” Merula muttered softly.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. “Really… You are not helping at all, Merula.” You hissed softly to her.

“Well, I’m not the one who is trying to attack someone like a crazy person!”

“Shut up, Snyde!” Tulip yelled, looking more pissed at this point.

“You were the one who started picking fights with me! Not the other way around!” Merula yelled back. “You were my friend and you betrayed me! Does that ring any bells?”

“You were using me for your dirty jobs.” Tulip said. “How could I trust you when you were only using me for stupid things that needed to be done?”

“I actually liked having you as a friend of mine…” Merula muttered. “I guess trusting you was my biggest mistake. Obviously, you would betray someone again because you don’t **_trust_** them.”

 

This particular thing Merula had said definitely hurt Tulip, because she raised her wand in a mix of anger and sadness. “ _Stupefy_!”

Her aim was slightly off and before you knew it you were the one who fell unconscious again.

…..

“Merlin’s beard! You actually hit _Y/N_!” You heard someone said faintly.

“Way to go, Karasu…”

…..

 

 

* * *

 

 

You slowly opened your eyes and noticed you were in the Hospital Wing. You groaned softly, knowing some of your friends thought it was probably necessary for you to be sent to the Hospital Wing even though you were just knocked out by the stunning spell.

“I thought I would be the only one to end up in the Hospital Wing today.”

You looked up and noticed Ben was also in the Hospital wing. “So… Professor Trelawney's prediction was true?”

“I was bitten by a Doxy that wasn’t even _supposed_ to be there during class…” Ben mumbled, shaking his head slightly.

“So, class is over?” You asked.

“I think it almost over now.” He said. “You were out for quite some time…”

Madam Pomfrey made her way over to you. “Ah, you are finally awake, miss _Y/L/N_.” She seemed to be examining you. “Have you been sleeping and eating well lately?”

“I think I have been eating well. Sleeping however…” You admitted.

“I already thought so.” She said, shaking your head. “If you have troubles sleeping, perhaps some Sleeping Draughts would help you get the sleep you need.”

Sleeping Draughts… You had already considered taking them, but you were afraid you would not wake up if you had a vision.

 

“A good night rest is important, especially when you can experience visions.” Madam Pomfrey said seriously. “I’m pretty sure it exhausts you mentally in some way. All the things that have happened recently probably keep you awake as well.”

You were pretty sure Madam Pomfrey wasn’t going to let you leave unless you agreed you would take the Sleeping Draught at night. She also wanted to check up on you next week. She was going to make sure you had been sleeping better.

You walked out the same time when Ben was released from the Hospital Wing after the Antidote worked.

“Well, it seems like we are both healthy enough to leave the Hospital Wing.” You said slightly amused. “We should probably head to the Great Hall. I think most of the group would be there around this time.”

“I suppose we are.” Ben said softly. “Although, shouldn’t you be heading back to your dormitory and get some rest?”

“And risk to miss dinner? I think I would have a bigger problem with Madam Pomfrey if I also skip meals, Ben.” You laughed softly.

“But you are going to take the Sleeping Draught tonight, aren’t you?”

“I’m planning to, although I’m afraid I won’t wake up when I experience a vision…” You frowned slightly.

“Well, they shouldn’t keep you asleep for too long.” Ben said. “At least, that’s what Professor Snape once said.”

“I will take the Sleeping Draught tonight and see if it will help me out or not.”

 

“However, I honestly think the most important thing to do is to find Tulip.” You said honestly. “I really need to speak to her.”

“After what she did?” Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She is…. Going through some stuff.” You said softly. “I know she didn’t mean to hit me.”

“Still… She was ready to fight Merula so suddenly…”

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I know you are here, Tulip.”

Tulip turned around and looked at you. She was once again in your brother’s study, obviously wanting to be left alone at this point.

“I know you probably don’t want to see anyone, but I think it is important to be here now. We need to talk about what happened after all.” You said seriously.

“I don’t want to talk about it…” She grumbled.

“I get it why you don’t want to talk about it, but if you keep this act up you are definitely going to make that certain person hate you completely.”

Tulip frowned and looked away. “You know it is not my intention to do this to her… It is just that she tries to open these old wounds… If she could let it go, then I would be able to let it go as well…”

“But fighting her isn’t the way to deal with it. It’s not the way to make her like you.”

“Do you honestly think she will ever like me? She sees me as the worst person in the universe at this point.” Tulip mumbled. “I hate the way I feel about her… I hate myself for feeling what I feel for her.”

 

“Then why don’t you just tell me what you are feeling for me, Karasu?”

Tulip’s eyes widened when she noticed Merula was standing in the doorway of the study. She looked at you. “Did you tell her to come?”

You were surprised as well when Merula had made her way to the study. “No, all I was going to do was talk to you and then suggest you should talk to her to be honest. I have never asked her to come here.”

“Do you honestly think I would agree to come here if  _Y/L/N_ asks me to come here knowing you would be here?” Merula said, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, I was only going to look for stuff here in order to help Rakepick, you know? However, I’m curious how you feel about me now, Karasu.”

Tulip’s face paled slightly. She was definitely caught off guard at this point.

“I suppose I can leave you two alone.” You said. “Although, you’d better not fight, there are a lot of helpful things in here that could help us find a way to save the students that are stuck in a painting.” You said before you walked out of the room, leaving Merula and Tulip alone.

 

“So… Are you going to tell me about what you feel for me, Karasu?” Merula asked, leaning against the doorway while she kept looking at Tulip.

“What does it even matter to you? After all, I’m just a betrayer in your eyes…” Tulip hissed softly.

“Because you are bloody confusing me, Karasu.” Merula said, glaring at her.

“What are you talking about? How is this all confusing you?” Tulip said.

“Simple, you seemed to be so angry with me while you also were giving me different looks whenever we are not near each other.”

“I have no idea what you are even talking about…”

“How about these sad and almost longing looks you give me whenever I see you staring at me?” Merula said seriously, moving closer to Tulip.

“Longing looks? Y-you must be delirious, Snyde!” Tulip said, frowning and blushing at the same time.

“Nice try, Karasu. However, your own face is betraying you right now.” Merula rolled her eyes.

“What do you want me to say? What I am truly feeling for you for a while now? Is that what you want me to tell you?” Tulip yelled.

“It would make things less confusing, Tulip.”

Tulip looked troubled, but she couldn’t back out now. She would tell Merula everything, it was the only way now.

 


	7. Chapter 7

“In a few days is the Celestial Ball!” Andre said excitedly during the History of Magic class. Professor Binns had fallen asleep and the almost the whole class was doing anything but studying the History of Magic.

“Are you going to keep mentioning it until the Celestial Ball is finally happening?” Charlie asked, rolling his eyes in amusement.

“Oh, definitely.” Andre grinned.

“Such a big fuss over a dance, don’t you think so, _Y/N_?” Tonks asked, but you didn’t give her an answer. “ _Y/N_?”

You had fallen asleep during the beginning of the class. It probably happened around the same time Professor Binns had fallen asleep.

Rowan shook her head. “I told her to keep taking the Sleeping Draught even after Madam Pomfrey said she seemed to be healthy enough…”

“What has she been doing?” Charlie asked.

“She was looking for a counter-curse for the trapped students.” Rowan answered, looking concerned. “I hoped she would take her own health more seriously after Madam Pomfrey basically scolded her for not taking enough care of herself during these times.”

“ _Y/N_ is just a bit stubborn, Rowan. Do you honestly think she would stop looking for a counter-curse because someone asked her to?” Tonks said.

“Tonks has a point. Besides, she is not the only one who has been sleeping less because of that curse.” Andre said, pointing at Penny, who was also asleep.

 

“It’s also a wonder you are awake, Charlie. Haven’t you been helping out a lot too, especially when _Y/N_ had a vision about Bill?” Tonks asked.

“I’m fine, besides I also fell asleep earlier during class.” Charlie shrugged. “I just woke up sooner than I thought.”

Tonks smirked when she looked in the back of the class. “How are you two doing, lovebirds?”

“Shut it, Tonks.” Merula muttered.

Tonks chuckled and shook her head. “I still can’t believe how these two ended up together. Although, I knew a bit about this.”

“I can’t believe you knew about it and I was clueless.” Andre said honestly. “Normally I know all about the dating scenes in Hogwarts.”

“I’m good at hiding things.” Tulip said with a shrug.

“By acting the opposite of how you feel.” Merula said, rolling her eyes in amusement.

“You were provoking me though…” Tulip muttered, pouting slightly.

“You two still haven’t told us how it happened.” Andre said.

“Andre, it’s not really our business how they ended up together.” Charlie pointed out.

“Can’t I just be curious?” Andre asked.

Merula and Tulip glanced at each other, grinning lightly.

 

* * *

 

 

_“What do you want me to say? What I am truly feeling for you for a while now? Is that what you want me to tell you?” Tulip yelled._

_“It would make things less confusing, Tulip.” Merula said seriously_

_Tulip looked troubled, but she couldn’t back out now. She would tell Merula what everything, it was the only way now._

_“Tell me.” Merula took a step closer, keeping her eyes on Tulip._

_Tulip bit her lip slightly when Merula was standing pretty close to her. “I think you know what I am feeling for you…”_

_“I still want to hear it from you, Tulip.” Merula said softly._

_“Why would I say something like that when I know you probably hate my guts for everything I have done to you? You keep bringing up the past, like you can’t let it go. Why would I say something you would reject anyways?” Tulip muttered, looking away from Merula again._

_“It’s more like you can’t let go of the past, Tulip. You don’t trust people easily and then you do something you regret later on.”_

_“I can let go of my past!”_

_“No, you cannot.” Merula said seriously. “It’s not your fault though. The way you were raised is the problem here.”_

_“You actually blame my parents for this?” Tulip asked before she laughed in disbelieve. “You don’t even understand how I was raised!”_

_“You have told me quite a bit and it didn’t sound pleasant at all. They were strict and you weren’t allowed to do anything. Whenever they promised to spend time with you, they let you down for their jobs.” Merula said. “That’s why you don’t trust anyone.”_

_“And you use people and try to scare them, because people used to look down on you.” Tulip narrowed her eyes. “Let’s just all blame it on how we were raised! That’s going to solve all our problems!” Tulip yelled sarcastically._

_“All I was saying is that your trust issues come from your past!” Merula yelled back. “I’m trying to make you see why you might feel like you can trust nobody!”_

_“I do trust people!”_

_“Oh really? Do you fully trust your friends? Because I can tell you can’t trust them completely either.”_

_“It’s better than nothing. Besides, who could I trust completely? Everybody is going to me let me down eventually. Just like you were using me! You used me, making me think I was your friend while I was only doing your dirty jobs!”_

_“I saw you as a friend, Tulip! I honestly thought we connected whenever we talked to each other!” Merula yelled._

_“Friends don’t use each other like you did.” Tulip glared at Merula._

_“Friends also don’t backstab each other. Besides, you have never said anything about the way I behaved before you stabbed my back. You could have said something!”_

_“Like you would even listen to me! You would probably have hexed me if I said anything about it.”_

_Merula frowned. “Why do you think I would hex you? Have I ever hexed Ismelda whenever she said something bad? Did I ever hex Barnaby when he did something stupid?”_

_Tulip thought about it. Did Merula actually hurt the people who helped her? Did she ever hurt her friends?_

_“I guess you have realised I never did hurt any of you like that. I might have said some stuff that hurt someone, but I never have physically hurt my friends.” Merula said seriously._

_Tulip ran a hand through her hair, feeling really confused by herself. She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack at this point. Her legs began shaking and her breathing became sharp. Instead, tears were rolling down her face._

_“Bloody hell…! Did… Did I make you cry?” Merula slightly panicked when she noticed Tulip was about to have a break down._

_“Don’t act like you care…! Just… Just don’t!” Tulip yelled._

_“What if I do care?” Merula said seriously, looking concerned._

_“I hate you…!” Tulip began, but she wasn’t done with what she wanted to say to Merula. “But I can’t bloody help it that I really like you at the same time! T…There! I have said what I feel for you!” She tried to walk away, but she was held back by Merula._

_“Don’t you dare to leave now, Tulip Karasu.” Merula said seriously._

_“You have got what you wanted! I have told you how I feel about you! Now, let me go!”_

_Merula shook her head. “Why would you leave when I haven’t shared how I feel about you?”_

_“Because it would be pointless!” Tulip said when more tears were pouring down her face. “You have made it clear you don’t like me.”_

_“I can’t believe you are making me do this…” Merula mumbled softly, shaking her head. “You want to know how I feel about you? Fine! I will tell you.”_

_Tulip tried to pull away from Merula, but Merula refused to let go of her._

_“You can be the most annoying person in the world when you want to be, but bloody hell… I like you too, stupid prankster.” Merula said before she kissed Tulip._

* * *

 

“Andre, let’s say we got into heated argument.” Tulip said to Andre.

“I guess that’s the summary of what happened.” Merula said with a shrug.

Andre raised an eyebrow before he shook his head slightly. “Well, I suppose I can imagine what happened now.”

“Good, because I’m not going to give you a detailed explanation how Tulip and I got together, Egwu.” Merula said with a smirk.

“Don’t expect me to give you one either.” Tulip chuckled. “I bet some people will listen and then make stupid rumours about it.”

“They already made up rumours about us.” Merula rolled her eyes.

“Well, the news always travels fast in Hogwarts.” Andre said honestly.

“Maybe _Y/N_ will have a break for once.” Tonks said with a grin. “Instead, we will hear cute little rumours about Tulip and Merula.”

“At least not everything they say is bad.” Tulip shrugged.

“I suppose I have dealt with worse rumours.” Merula said honestly. “Some people just like to hurt someone even when they don’t really know them.”

“You used to say bad things about _Y/N Y/L/N_ as well, Merula.” Tulip pointed out.

“I suppose _Y/L/N_ and I both have said bad things about each other. Although, things have been going better since our fourth year.” Merula shrugged.

“She has a point.” Andre said honestly. “Besides, I think we all have said some bad things about you at some point.” He gave her an apologetic look.

“I haven’t been nice either, so it's fine.” Merula said honestly.

 

“Anyways, since you and Tulip are together, you should definitely prepare for the Celestial Ball with us.” Andre said with a grin.

“And what do you mean with _prepare_?” Merula asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Andre and Penny want us all to look good during the Celestial Ball.” Tulip explained, rolling her eyes.

“There is no way I’m letting my friends look like fashion disasters during the Celestial Ball. I mean, I already had to save Charlie from that suit he was going to wear.” Andre said.

“Hey!” Charlie frowned. “My mom sent it to me, what could I do about it?”

“Just be glad I managed to make something fashionable out of that suit.” Andre said honestly.

Charlie huffed and looked away from Andre, shaking his head a little.

“So, you want to check out our outfits or something?” Merula asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Something like that.” Andre said.

“I already have a dress, but if you must, I suppose you can have a look at it later.” Merula mumbled.

“Great! Also show it to Penny, she could have some good ideas for hair and make-up. I mean, she was busy doing that for the other girls as well.” Andre smiled.

“We will inform Penny when she is awake, Andre.” Tulip said, before she looked at Merula again.

 

You slowly woke up, rubbing your eyes a bit. You wondered when Professor Binns was going to wake up and ask them to hand in their work.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Tonks said amused when she noticed you woke up. “Class ended ten minutes ago.”

You were completely awake. “What?”

“Just kidding, we still have an hour before class is over.” Tonks said.

Rowan shook her head before she looked at you. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.” You told Rowan before you looked down at your books. “I should probably do this assignment before class is actually over.”

“Do you need some help to finish it?” Rowan asked.

You shook your head. “Don’t worry, I will be able to finish this myself.”

“If you do need help, I-”

“I know, Rowan. Thank you for the offer, but it is not necessary.” You told her honestly before you began writing.

Tonks looked at Rowan, raising an eyebrow.

Rowan shrugged. Normally, you didn’t mind it if she helped you, especially when you seemed to have a lot on your mind. She suspected you were in a bad mood because of the lack of sleep.

 

Once you finished, you rested your head against your hand.  You knew your moods hadn’t improved at all. Of course, you knew you weren’t the only one whose mood didn’t actually improve. You noticed Penny was trying to smile, even though it wasn’t very sincere all the time. Ben seemed to be more and more worried about things. You wouldn’t be surprised if Ben actually got scared by his own shadow at this point. Heck, even Barnaby was acting slightly off lately. You figured out it might have to do something with you, although you weren’t sure what. Everything seemed to be fine between you two after he asked you to the Celestial Ball, but there was something different about him.

You caught yourself staring at Barnaby for a moment. You quickly looked away when your gaze met his. You blushed slightly, wondering why you were actually staring at him.

“So, are you also in relationship now?”

You were startled when Tonks had whispered that to you and you began blushing more. “In a relationship? No, of course not…!” You whispered back.

“Oh really? Then you must have caught the love virus like many other students in the school. I guess it has to do with the Celestial Ball coming up.”

 

“I’m not in love, Tonks.” You told your Metamorphmagus friend, looking away from her.

“Then why are you blushing?” Tonks asked with a smirk.

“Tonks, I swear to Merlin…” You muttered, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Stop teasing her, Tonks…” A sleepy voice said.

Tonks looked towards the direction of the voice and smiled. “Penny! You are also awake.”

“Why didn’t anyone wake me up…? How much time is there left to finish the assignment?”

“About 35 minutes.” You told Penny. “You would be able to finish it in 20 minutes top. I finished my assignment not too long ago after waking up.”

“Thanks for telling me.” Penny said with a small smile.

“Penny, I could give you a hand if you want?” Rowan said, offering her help.

“That would be great. I think I’m still half-asleep.” Penny admitted.

Rowan smiled and moved her stuff over to Penny, helping her out with the assignment.

 

* * *

 

 

Once class was over you quickly got out of the classroom, almost too quickly for your friends to see you walk out.

“ _Y/N_ …!”

Someone was calling you, but you wanted to get to Jacob’s study as quickly as possible. You weren’t getting any closer with finding a counter-curse, nor did you know when exactly R would attack you. You needed to prepare for those things. Not to mention, you still needed to visit Jacob soon… Maybe he would finally tell you something that could help you out with the counter-curse or help you prepare to fight back R.

“ _Y/N_ , wait up…!”

You stopped walking when someone managed to grab your shoulder. You glanced back at this person and raised an eyebrow. “Barnaby?”

Barnaby slowly let go of your shoulder and looked at you. “Are you feeling all right lately?”

“What?” You blinked a bit.

“I was wondering if you were feeling all right… You have been acting a little off lately.” Barnaby said softly. “Also, didn’t you hear me earlier?”

“Oh… I’m all right, don’t worry. And no, I didn’t hear you calling me.” You lied. “If you excuse me, I need to go now.”

 

Before you could walk away, Barnaby held you back. “Why are you lying to me?”

You bit your lip, not sure what to say at this point. You glanced away from him.

“Come on, _Y/N_. We used to tell each other what troubled us… What has changed?” Barnaby asked.

You frowned. “I think it’s not something that has changed… I think we both have changed.”

Barnaby looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“You are acting like I am the only one who has changed.” You nearly yelled, frowning a bit. “You have been acting weird around me lately too.”

Barnaby blinked. “I have been acting weird around you?”

“Yes, you have been acting weird around me.” You said seriously before you turned your back to him. “I don’t have time for this… I have to keep looking for some clues about the Cursed Vaults and a counter-curse.”

“I’m sorry if I have been acting differently, but really… Nothing has changed between us, you can still trust me.” Barnaby sounded almost hurt.

You looked down at your feet. “I’ve told you… I haven’t been a good friend to anyone lately… Now I’m also hurting you.”

“You can tell me what is bothering you, _Y/N_.” Barnaby said honestly.

“Stop. I don’t want to talk about it.” You whispered. “I don’t want anyone to pity me.”

 

“I’m asking this, because I’m worried about you, _Y/N_. Not because I pity you!” Barnaby yelled, making other students stare at the two of you.

“Well, then stop worrying about me…!” You yelled back and then you walked away.

Barnaby was stubborn and wasn’t going to let you walk away from him. He just followed you. “No! I won’t stop worrying about you…!”

You groaned in frustration, picking up your pace, because people were still looking at you two. “Just leave me alone, Barnaby…!”

“Not until you tell me what is going on.” Barnaby said, easily keeping up with you.

You stopped talking to him. You were just walking towards Jacob’s study whether Barnaby would follow you or not. The faster you tried to walk the blurrier your sight became. You tried to ignore it, not wanting to stop walking.

“ _Y/N_ …?” He didn’t sound as frustrated as he sounded earlier. It was like he was actually concerned now.

You tried to ignore everything. You ignored his voice, although your sight only became blurrier and your body was telling you to stop. Before you actually realised your body didn’t seem to keep up with you, you felt like you were about to collapse. You would have fallen if Barnaby hadn’t caught you in time.

 

“Merlin’s beard…! _Y/N_ , can you hear me?” Barnaby asked when he held you in his arms.

You hadn’t completely fainted, although you were a bit out of it. “…Yes.”

Barnaby didn’t hesitate and lifted you off the ground. “Are you all right?” He asked softly. “Who am I kidding… You almost collapsed… I should probably bring you to the Hospital Wing.”

“Please don’t bring me to the Hospital Wing…” You begged. “Anywhere but the Hospital Wing…”

Barnaby looked slightly troubled. “Then where should I bring you to?”

“There is a couch in Jacob’s study…” You mumbled softly.

Barnaby looked baffled. “You are not seriously thinking about looking for clues when you just collapsed, are you?”

“… I just need to rest for a moment. Really, I will be fine.” You told him softly.

“No, you are not fine.” Barnaby said seriously.

“We could talk there… Not many people know about Jacob’s study.” You said softly.

Barnaby didn’t look too happy about what you were proposing at this point, but he also wanted to figure out what was going on. “All right… Just to talk. After that, I will bring you to your Common Room.

“Barnaby…”

“You said anywhere but the Hospital Wing.”

 

* * *

 

 

“I don’t think I have ever noticed the couch here.” Barnaby said when he entered Jacob’s study.

“That’s because nobody seems to use it except for Tulip and I. Once you have been here for hours, you want to make things at least a little comfortable.” You said softly.

“I can’t understand how you two can even stay here more than a couple of hours… I mean, you two could probably stay the entire day here.” Barnaby said when he gently put you down on the couch.

“It’s quiet and pretty private.” You told him.

“And it is pretty dark in here.” He said, honestly.

“That’s what _Lumos_ is for, right?” You said with a small smile.

He sighed and then he sat down next to you. “Are you still going to tell me what is going on?”

 “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” You asked him, biting your lip slightly.

“I could still bring you to the Hospital Wing, you know?” Barnaby mumbled.

You nodded slightly. “You have got a point.”

“I would have brought you there if you weren’t so against it.”

“Rowan keeps telling me to go the Hospital Wing all the time lately. I really don’t want to go there now.”

“She must have a good reason for it. She cares about you, _Y/N_.”

 

“Now, tell me what is going on.” Barnaby said seriously, looking into your eyes.

You frowned slightly. “There is a lot that is going on, you know about that…”

“I would appreciate it if you try to explain it a bit more to me.” He said honestly. “I want to help you.”

“There is so much going on… I can’t focus on anything lately.” You mumbled softly.

“So, nothing improved after the last time we talked about this?”

“I feel like things have got worse, Barnaby… I have been spending a lot of time here, trying to figure out where the next vault is… Also, I can’t seem to find any counter-curse that is helpful to get the students out of the paintings.”

“Have you asked the help of others, _Y/N_?”

“…. No.”

“Maybe that’s the problem. I think this all is too much to handle on your own… You need our help.” Barnaby said seriously.

“And risk you guys would get hurt?” You frowned. “I don’t want anything to happen to you guys when you are helping me.”

“We have helped you before. You can’t possibly think you can do this all on your own.”

You shook your head. “You don’t understand…”

“Then help me understand.” He took your hand in his.

 

“The more you guys help me, the more you risk yourself to get hurt…” You said, looking away from him. “Or worse… You risk your lives. I don’t want you to risk your lives because you have been helping me.”

Barnaby frowned. “So, you want to risk your own life by pushing everyone away from you?”

“It was my choice to look for the Cursed Vaults. It’s my fault people have got hurt or got struck by the curse of the different vaults…! I can’t risk you all to get hurt because of what I have done.” You looked at him again, frowning.

“No, you didn’t start this. Your brother did. Even if you didn’t choose to look for the Cursed Vaults you would have been pulled into the danger. You told us about how R wants you to join them. They would still be looking for you even if you didn’t look for the Cursed Vaults.” Barnaby was concerned about you. Things had been changing a lot more than he expected, but he definitely didn’t want to let you down.

“You don’t understand. You don’t have nightmares that keep you awake. You don’t have terrible visions about students disappearing and friends getting hurt!” You pulled your hand away from him, tearing up. “You don’t fear taking a Sleeping Draught because you might not be able to wake up once you experience a vision…”

 

“You are scared.” Barnaby said softly.

“I’m terrified, Barnaby. About everything that is going to happen.” You told him, turning your back to him when tears were rolling down your face. “I don’t want to endanger anyone… Being a Seer is nothing more than trouble… It is not a gift… It’s a curse.”

“ _Y/N_ …”

“I feel like I’m slowly losing myself. I’m not the same person anymore, not after the visions became stronger and more terrible…”

Barnaby pulled you close to him and rested his head on yours. “You are still you… If you had completely changed, I wouldn’t have noticed something was going on…”

“You are not giving yourself enough credits, Barnaby… You seem to understand people a lot better than you realise…”

“I’m still pretty oblivious at times, _Y/N_ …” He said honestly.

“You are the only one who can make me talk about this stuff…” You said softly.

“Probably because we have both told each other a lot about our families’ dynamics.”

You closed your eyes, breathing in his scent. “I trust you so much, it is almost scary sometimes.”

“I think I have told you more about myself than I have ever told someone.”

“I don’t want anyone to target you because of how close we are.”

 

“I’m not going to let you down because of everything that is going on lately.” Barnaby whispered to you. “We are… We are great friends after all.” He seemed to have some troubles with saying that, but you didn’t notice.

You only focused on that particular word he said. “Yeah, _friends_.” You mumbled softly, not sure why it just felt wrong.

 

* * *

 

 

“What do you mean you still didn’t tell her?” Andre asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you think it means?” Barnaby muttered. “She was upset, I’m not going to tell her something like that when she is upset.”

Barnaby was sitting in library with Andre, Charlie and Ben. They were doing some homework together and talked about what was going on lately.

“Are you going to tell her during the Celestial Ball then?” Andre asked. “I mean, you were so certain about telling her and you seem to back out now.”

“Andre, drop it. If Barnaby thinks the timing wasn’t right, then he should just follow his guts and wait.” Charlie said.

“Maybe it would have cheered her up.” Andre said.

“You don’t know what she has said when we talked…” Barnaby said. “Believe me, if you knew what the conversation was about you wouldn’t have told her either…” He wasn’t going to tell everyone what you two talked about.

“All right, all right. I suppose you are right.” Andre sighed. “I know it is none of my business what you two talk about, although I wish she would open up more about what is going on.”

“She didn’t want to talk to Barnaby either.” Ben said softly, reminding that Barnaby told them earlier it was hard to talk to you.

 

Barnaby sighed. “Things are a bit complicated, that’s what I can't tell you. I don’t think she would like it if I told you all what she told me.”

Charlie nodded. “Totally understandable. I mean, it is none of our business what she tells you. As long as she tells what is going on to someone. I don’t think it would be healthy if she keeps everything that is troubling to herself.”

“Exactly, that’s what I was thinking.” Barnaby said. “She doesn’t want to bother us with it, but I don’t think she should be dealing with this alone.”

“Maybe you should just keep an extra eye on her, Barnaby.” Ben suggested. “Just in case something happens…”

“I’m already trying to keep an extra eye on her. Although, I hope I’m not being too obvious about it…” Barnaby said honestly. “I mean, I’m not the most subtle person.”

“She trusts you, so I don’t think you will have to worry about it.” Andre said honestly.

Charlie nodded. “Besides, seeing how tired she is lately, I don’t think she will notice it.”

“What do you expect? She doesn’t seem to sleep very well. Rowan said _Y/N_ has been having a lot of nightmares and she is looking for clues and counter-curses most of her free time.” Andre said.

 

The guys grabbed their stuff once they finished doing their homework. They walked out of the library and began talking about something else. Andre and Charlie had began talking about Quidditch, while Ben and Barnaby just listened to their two friends discussing about it.

Barnaby's gaze slowly moved away from the guys and he could see you passing him. Your eyes met for a moment before you had walked past him. He looked behind him for a moment, seeing you were on your own again. He wondered if you were once again going to Jacob’s study to find clues. He knew you weren’t done looking for clues or finding a counter-curse, but even after the two of you talked you still were going to do it on your own? Maybe he should have another chat with you later.

“Barnaby?”

He looked at back at the guys and blinked. “Sorry, what did you say?”

Charlie grinned. “We were wondering where you were looking at.”

“Oh, nothing important.” Barnaby said, not sure if he should mention seeing you.

They gave him a look like they weren’t sure about it, but they slowly began discussing about something again.


	8. The Celestial Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the Celestial Ball was an event in the fourth year (according to the timeline of the game), but I like the idea of having a ball in the fifth year and not only for the students of the year the playable character is in.

It was the day of the Celestial Ball. Most students seemed to be preparing for the eventful evening already. Although, it was quite known that some students have been preparing ever since the announcement was made. Everyone needed to wear something formal in order to attend the ball. Only a few students have stated they didn’t want to attend the ball, so they didn’t seem to be fussing about the preparation of it.

All the students had no classes that day, so people definitely had enough time to be ready for the ball. You were certain some people were still fussing a lot about the whole ball. Actually, you knew one who was fussing a lot about the ball; Andre. Penny was also busy with preparing for the ball, but she seemed to be less stressed about it than Andre.

Andre just wanted to make sure all of his friends would look good during the ball, thinking they all deserved to look amazing for the evening. He said it was a one in a lifetime experience, because there hasn’t been a ball for a long time. You all decided to let him do what he thought was right. After all, Andre seemed to be the expert when it came to fashion in the Wizarding World.

 

You didn't know how Andre did it, but he managed to distract you from the Vaults, Jacob and R. It started two days prior to the ball. Andre had told you he needed your help (although, you were certain he didn’t need any help). At first, you said you didn’t have any time, but once Andre was basically begging for your help, telling you he wanted the Celestial Ball to be perfect for his friends, you gave in and helped. You didn’t want to let your friends down even more than you already did.

You helped him with setting things up for when the guys would come and try on their outfits. Then he sent you to Penny, to help her set up the same thing for the girls. It actually kept you busy and you managed to get to bed early for once. At first, it felt strange not to work on finding the Vaults and trying to save the students, but Rowan reassured you it could wait a little.

You quickly realised how much better you felt after a good night rest. Maybe you had really been too afraid of not waking up if you experienced a vision. Maybe you really had been neglecting your health. It was something Rowan had kind of warned you about. You were certain she wasn’t the only one who has been worried about that.

 

Barnaby had definitely kept an eye on you, even though you didn’t always notice it. You had been so sleepy, that you only realised it when you woke up after a nap in class (most likely during History of Magic classes). His eyes often met yours during classes. You quickly looked away most of the time, because you felt a little nervous whenever it happened. Although, you didn’t seem to understand why you have been nervous whenever your eyes met each other.

It wasn’t like you never looked Barnaby in the eyes before. You two became great friends over the years. You could trust him with almost everything that was going on at home, just like he could trust you about how things were going at his home. You hadn’t felt nervous around him before, so why now? You knew it happened slowly, but the reason behind it was unclear. It definitely seemed to be affecting your friendship with Barnaby and you feared you would lose him.

There was also the thing that people really seem to like Barnaby. You knew there were quite some people that seemed to have a crush on him, most likely because of his looks. Before the whole Celestial Ball was announced, it never bothered you. You weren’t annoyed by them until people made comments about you when they found out you were going to the ball with him. Luckily, the comments didn't bother you too much, since you were getting quite used to people gossiping about you.

 

You heard from someone, one of Barnaby’s old friends had a crush on him. You were actually surprised about it.

“ _Those people aren’t the only ones who have a crush on him. Ismelda seems to fancy him too_.” Merula told you a few days back.

You didn’t know what to think about it at that moment. Now, whenever you saw Barnaby talking with Ismelda, you felt strange. You couldn’t help it but to dislike it. You felt like you wanted to pull Barnaby away from her, which didn’t make any sense. He had the right to talk to whoever he wanted to.

Tonks had given you a certain look when she saw your expression and then she whispered something to Tulip. You didn’t even know what they were discussing with each other.

Once you walked away, you nearly bumped into Penny. You shot her an apologetic look, but she just gave you a sweet smile.

“I was actually getting all the girls to get ready for the ball. We still have some things to prepare after all.” She told you with a smile.

“Tulip and Tonks are in the Great Hall. I think Rowan is in the Library, I could get her if you want?” You said, trying to forget what you felt in the Great Hall.

“That would be great!” Penny smiled. “I bet Tulip knows where Merula is, so we could start soon.”

 

Once Penny had managed to bring all the girls of our group together, she took everyone to a place where they could prepare for the ball privately.

“Sorry for bringing you all here so early.” Penny apologised. “Andre wanted to check on us before the ball starts, but he also has to make sure the guys look good.”

Merula and Tulip rolled their eyes and Tonks just laughed.

“It’s fine, Penny. We all know how Andre can be when it comes to fashion.” You said amused. “Besides, he is also doing it for us.”

“At least most of us are used to it.” Tulip said honestly.

“I’m slowly getting used to it.” Merula rolled her eyes again. “Then again, I just got pulled into this group.”

“Don’t worry, Merula. We all needed some time to get used to it.” Tonks chuckled. “His comments can be quite harsh sometimes, but he definitely is the person to go to when you need to dress yourself properly for something.”

“Andre always mentioned I could go to him for fashion advice.” You said with a grin. “I think he was trying to be subtle and tell me I needed some better clothes.”

Tonks laughed. “That’s definitely a subtle hint. Sounds very Ravenclaw of him.”

“I think I have learnt quite some things about fashion from him.” You admitted.

“Although, I’m pretty sure you know how to dress formally.” Merula pointed out. “I mean, with your parents and all. The same thing goes for you, Tulip.”

“That doesn’t mean I like their style.” Tulip said amused. “I like the one I actually chose myself better than the ones my parents have bought me.”

“Same.” You agreed.

 

“Anyways, let’s get ourselves ready.” Penny said, wanting everyone to get ready for the Celestial Ball.

Preparing was a lot more fun than expected. Tonks and Tulip began joking around a little and everyone else seemed to be joining in at least a little. The mood was very light and definitely made the whole preparation for the ball pleasant, something you didn’t expect at first. Everyone’s dress looked really nice and you felt like everyone looked very pretty in their dress. Although, you could tell not everyone was too comfortable with wearing a dress.

“It has been quite a while since I wore a dress.” Tonks said. “I bet I will be even more clumsy than normally when I’m wearing this.”

“Let’s hope Charlie’s toes can handle it, Tonks.” Tulip joked. “Although, he probably knows what he got himself into.”

“I promised I would _try_ to be careful.” Tonks winked.

“If he can lead you well, you will probably be fine.” Rowan told Tonks. “Although, I’m a little nervous about the dancing myself…”

“You will be fine, Rowan. You have practiced this for quite a while. Heck, you even got some advice from Diego!” Penny said with a smile.

“But she needs to be perfect if she manages to dance with ‘ _you know who I mean_ ’.” Tonks said amused.

Rowan blushed and slightly looked away. “He already has a date, I don’t think he will dance with me.”

“You never know, Rowan. Everything could happen during a night like this.” Penny said with a sweet smile.

 

“I’m actually wondering what will happen with _Y/N_ during the ball.” Tonks said amused.

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, Tonks?”

“I mean what will happen between you and Barnaby.”

You rolled your eyes. “I have no clue what you are talking about.”

Tulip snorted. “I think you do have a clue. The way you have been staring at him says enough.”

“I have not been staring at him!” You said, looking away with a huff.

“Come on, it is obvious. Something between you two is happening and you know it.” Merula said. “Even I have managed to see it.”

“And the way you looked at him in the Great Hall… It was very amusing.” Tonks said with a smirk.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Penny said quickly. “There is no need to tease _Y/N_ about this.”

“Aw, come on Penny. You must have seen it too.” Tonks laughed.

“Look, I don’t know what is going on between Barnaby and me.” You said honestly. “Things have… changed.”

Tonks blinked and then she tilted her head.  “Wait… You serious- **_Ouch_**!”

Penny had elbowed Tonks and shot her a look.

“Never mind, it’s none of my business anyways.” Tonks quickly said.

You slightly raised an eyebrow before you decided to drop the topic. Barnaby was definitely a complicated topic to you at the moment. You didn’t want to think about the possibility of what could happen between you two…

 

It definitely took a lot of time to get ready. Penny had managed to do everyone’s hair and she still needed to help everyone with their make-up. She definitely was worried about the time by now. Also, Andre came over to have a look at everyone, even though Penny was still busy with helping us prepare for the Ball. He seemed to be pleased with how you all looked even though he knew Penny still had a lot to do.

“I trust you can handle this well, Penny. You have done a great job with everyone’s hair, including your own hair.” He had told her before he left.

Once Penny was done with everyone’s make-up, everyone seemed to be looking at themselves for a moment.

“Damn, I can’t believe this is actually me.” Tonks said amused. “I look completely different and I didn’t even change my look myself.”

“You have done a great job, Penny. I’m very impressed by what you have done. I certainly couldn’t have done this myself.” Rowan said with a bright smile.

“You have done a fine job, Haywood. Indeed, very impressive.” Merula admitted.

Everyone, including you had thanked Penny. She blushed a little, feeling flattered that everyone was happy with what she had done.

 

“I guess we slowly have to make our way to the Great Hall and meet up with our dates.” Penny said once the Ball would start not too long from now.

You all made your way over towards the Great Hall. The closer you got, the more nervous you felt. You wondered why you suddenly felt like it was such a big deal. Sure, you were glad when Barnaby asked you to go to the Celestial Ball with him, but you definitely didn’t feel as nervous back then as you were feeling now. You began wondering if you made the right decision by saying yes when he asked you. What if you messed things up? What if this evening would make you lose him?

Then this other thought came up, making you feel irritated for some reason. If you didn’t go with him, who would have gone with him? Someone who kept making comments about you? Or perhaps Ismelda would have gone with Barnaby instead. They seemed to be talking more to each other lately, or was that just your imagination?

Heck, why was this making you feel so annoyed? Barnaby can be friends with anyone…! Even with someone who has a crush on him. Besides, he and Ismelda were friends before you became friends with him. You needed to shake off these feelings, they were only confusing you.

 

“I think the guys are already waiting.” Penny pointed out and then she grinned. “I think we might have to separate from here for now.” She winked before she walked through the crowd, looking for Ben.

Tulip and Merula shrugged and then they held each other’s hands, walking towards the Great Hall together.

Rowan smiled at you before she began walking through the crowd herself. Someone of her house had asked her and she would meet him somewhere here.

You wondered why the guys didn’t leave together like you and the girls did. Walking through the crowd without knowing where your date would be was kind of hard.

“Come on, I think I see Charlie and Barnaby.” Tonks said with a smile. “Besides, walking alone through the crowd is quite hard, don’t you think so? Also, I’m able to trip over my own feet when barely no one is walking here.”

You laughed softly. “You have a point, Tonks. Let’s go.”

The two of you managed to make your way through the crowd without actually tripping like Tonks was worried about. That didn’t mean she didn’t bump into a few people.

You were glad Tonks was there with you, because the nerves definitely didn’t go away. If you had to look around for Barnaby on your own, you probably would be even more nervous.

 

“It seems like I was right.” Tonks said with a grin, pointing at Charlie and Barnaby. She quickly made her way to Charlie with a smirk. “Damn, Charlie. Looks like Andre has done a good job.”

Charlie rolled his eyes with a grin. “You should have seen Andre fussing over everyone. I thought he would never let go of us.”

You slowly looked at Barnaby, feeling your heart pounding even faster. You knew you were definitely blushing at this point. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before you approached him.

His eyes quickly met yours when you had made your way over to him. You could see his cheeks were looking slightly red. “Wow…” You heard him mumble softly.

“Hey.” You greeted softly, giving him a smile.

“Oh, hey.” He greeted quickly. He shook his head to clear his head and then he gave you a bright smile. “Ready to go in?”

“Of course.” You nodded. You tried to sound as normal as possible, trying to ignore the nerves.

“Great.” He said, like he was sort of lost for words. He gently took your hand and began leading you inside the Great Hall.

You could see Tonks giving you a smirk when you glanced at her direction. You sighed softly, knowing she wasn’t going to drop this at all.

 

“Is there something wrong?” Barnaby asked, looking at you slightly confused.

You quickly looked at him and shook your head. “No, everything is fine.”

“Are you sure, I mean, you can tell me when something is wrong.” He said softly, looking into your eyes.

You gave him a smile and nodded. “I know.” Once you felt your heart pounding again, you tried to avoid his gaze. You were once again feeling nervous and you still didn’t understand why. Or maybe you just didn’t want to understand.

Barnaby noticed you seemed to avoid his gaze, although he didn’t say anything about it. He was also feeling nervous. After he told the guys he hadn’t told you what he wanted to tell you, Andre told him he should tell your during the Celestial Ball, saying it would be the perfect opportunity. He just hoped Andre was right about it, because he just wasn’t sure when the time would be right.

You slowly looked at him again, seeing he seemed to in deep thoughts. You wondered what he was thinking about. Although, you wouldn’t ask him about it, thinking it would be hypocritical to ask him what he was thinking when you have been hiding things from him.

 

It didn’t take long before Dumbledore had officially opened the Celestial Ball and slowly couples began dancing on the dance floor. Penny had almost dragged Ben to the dance floor, giving him encouraging smiles when they began dancing. Also, Rowan and her date were dancing already. She definitely was more confident about her dancing skills than she thought she would be.

“Shall we dance as well?” Barnaby asked, giving you a sweet smile.

“That would be nice.” You said, giving him a smile back.

He led you to the dance floor and began leading you during the dance. Even though it was a formal dance, you have had a lot of fun. You could tell Barnaby also was having a lot of fun. You somehow managed to forget the nerves you felt earlier, feeling completely comfortable for once. It has been quite a while since you have felt that way. You have been so worried about many things, not being able to fully accept the fact you are a Seer.

Would this be the moment you would finally be able to be the same person you were before you got the vision about Beatrice and your brother?

‘ _No… I know I have changed and I can’t go back. I may have changed, but I need to use this change in my advantage. I’m a Seer and I can’t run from it anymore._ ’ You thought, knowing it was the truth. Still, this evening was a good distraction for you. It seemed to give you some energy. It made you feel happy.

 

After a while of dancing, you and Barnaby left the dance floor, wanting to take a break. You two walked over to an empty table.

“I’ll get us something to drink.” He told you with a smile.

“Sounds good.” You smiled back and sat down at the table.

He seemed to smile slightly more before he left to get you both something to drink.

The Celestial Ball was more fun than you expected it to be. You were glad you decided to go, especially with Barnaby. If he didn’t ask you, you wouldn’t be sure if you would have gone. Although, you knew if you didn’t come, Andre would probably murder you.

You looked at the dance floor, seeing Penny and Ben were still dancing. You weren’t sure if you ever saw Ben as relaxed as he looked on the dance floor with Penny. Rowan was also still dancing with her date, seeing she was having a lot of fun. Her night would probably get even better if she manages to have a dance with Bill.

Once you looked at the other tables, you noticed Charlie was rubbing his foot while Tonks seemed to be apologising to him, although she was kind of grinning as well. She had warned Charlie about her clumsiness. She might be a prankster, but things often didn’t go as planned because she tripped over something or her own feet. Tulip never minded it though, thinking the chaos sometimes made things even more interesting.

At another table, you saw Merula and Tulip. They were giving each other looks like they were teasing each other. They kept holding each other’s hands and you were certain they would start snogging any moment now. You didn’t want to keep looking at them, not wanting them to feel awkward or anything (if they noticed you looking at their way).

 

“I hope this is all right.” Barnaby said when he returned with the drinks.

You looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile. “Thanks.” You said when he handed you the drink.

“No problem.” He sat down on the chair next to yours and raised his glass with a grin. “Cheers.”

You raised your glass as well. “Cheers.” You said before you took a sip.

He took a sip as well and kept his eyes on you. “You seem to be having a good time, _Y/N_.”

“I am having a good time.” You said honestly. “Thanks for asking me to come with you.”

“I’m glad, I mean, you deserve to have a good time.” He said honestly. “No problem, I’m just happy you wanted to go with me.”

“I’m pretty sure there would be plenty of people that wanted to go with you.”

“Maybe, but I wanted to go with you.”

You blushed slightly, feeling a bit flattered. “Well, I’m glad to know you are happy too.”

He gave you a bright smile, like you had made his day. You didn’t understand why though, after all you didn’t do anything special to make him smile that way. He gently took your hand in his and looked into your eyes again.

“Actually, I wanted to talk about something…” He started.

You blinked. “What is it?”

“Well…”

 

Before he could even tell you, Rowan walked over to you with a bright smile. “ _Y/N_ , you won’t believe what happened!”

You noticed Barnaby looked slightly annoyed for a second. He let go of your hand and sighed softly.

You looked at Rowan and tilted your head. “What happened?”

“Bill asked me I wanted to dance with him later! It’s like a dream come true!” She said, almost swooning at the thought of dancing with Bill.

“That’s great, Rowan!” You said with a smile, knowing she really wanted this ever since the Celestial Ball was announced.

“I can barely believe it. I suppose all the preparation and practiced paid off!”

You and Rowan chatted for a little longer before she returned to the dance floor. You could see she was walking over to Bill, who gave her a smile. You wondered if someone had told Bill, Rowan wanted to dance with him. He didn’t seem to realise Rowan fancies him after all. Maybe Charlie hinted something? Although, Charlie didn’t seem to notice it either when someone fancies him. You knew both the Weasley brothers had a lot of admirers and they didn’t even seem to notice it.

 

Suddenly, you remembered Barnaby wanted to tell you something before Rowan had walked over to you. “I’m sorry. What did you want to tell me?”

He shook his head, not even looking at you anymore. “Never mind.”

You frowned slightly, wondering if there was something wrong. “… Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, _Y/N_.” He said, giving you a small smile.

You weren’t convinced by this at all and you moved your chair slightly closer to him. “You always tell me I can tell you whenever something is troubling me. You know you can also tell me things when something is bothering you, right?”

“It’s nothing, _Y/N_.” He muttered, looking slightly frustrated. “Excuse me for a moment.”

You watched him walk away and you were left alone at the table. You sighed and rested your head against your hand. Did you do something wrong? He seemed to be having a good time just a little moment ago. Why did he suddenly become bothered by something?

‘ _I must have done something wrong… I seem to be doing a lot of things wrong lately._ ’ You thought, feeling down once again. ‘ _If I already made Barnaby annoyed by something, then I might annoy even more people by being here. For a moment, I thought I would be able to do something without being a bad friend, but I guess I’m wrong…_ ’

 

You took a deep breath and stood up. You needed to get out of here. You weren’t going to ruin anyone else’s night. Your friends deserved to have a happy night. You weren’t going to be the mood killer during the Celestial Ball, something most of your friends have been looking forward to ever since it was announced.

You made your way out of the Great Hall. Outside, there seemed to be more people who seemed to be in a bad mood. You noticed some girls were crying, probably because of something that happened inside. Also, some guys were looking down, hiding their face from everyone else like they were embarrassed to be seen down or crying. You knew standing outside the Great Hall was probably only going to make you feel worse. Maybe it was the best to head to your dormitory.

You took a deep breath and began making your way to the dormitory. What a _great_ way to spend the rest of the Celestial Ball… You just felt stupid. Why didn’t you see these kinds of situations coming? You didn’t know if you should feel just sad or angry at yourself. And why of all the people did you have to annoy Barnaby? You felt like you messed up the last chance to stay friends with him.

 

You noticed some of the halls seemed to look much darker than usual when you walked down the halls. Maybe it was because most people were in the Great Hall, including all the staff. Still, you didn’t think anything weird about it. It wasn’t until you heard someone whisper your name. You looked around and noticed your surroundings even got even darker. You began feeling suspicious and grabbed your wand.

“Show yourself.” You said, frowning while looking around.

“ _Expelliarmus_!”

Your wand was knocked out of your hand and you frowned even more. You got a bad feeling about this… This seemed to be familiar… Almost like you have seen it before…

“I’m certain you have foreseen us, _Y/N Y/L/N_.” A voice said.

It made your blood run cold… You definitely know what was going to happen. Your vision… It finally became a reality. It was dark, just like your vision. Slowly some people seemed to emerge from the darkness. They all wore red cloaks, hiding their faces from you. Just like your vision… R had come to get you and you never told anyone where you went. Your wand was out of your reach and you were pretty sure no one would hear you.

 

“We have been waiting for you, _Y/N_.” One of the men said. “Jacob has told us so many things about you.”

“It took us so long to finally break Jacob’s willpower to fight us back…” Another man said. “He and his friends have done so many jobs for us during their Hogwarts years… When we found out about you, we knew you would be a valuable addition to our team.”

It was weird to hear something you have heard before, like you were having a déjà vu. You felt nervous, because you never saw what they were trying to do with you after they finished speaking to you. Maybe they would try to knock you out?

“Jacob tried hard to protect you, but once he lost to us, he was willing to tell us everything about you and your gift. He was convinced you were a Seer, having seen the signs. Your parents might not believe in it, but we do. We would be honoured if you are our Personal Seer.” The first man said.

“I will not be anyone’s Seer.” You said shakily, remembering you said the exact same words in your vision. “I won’t serve you.”

“And who would be there to save you? You are alone, _Y/N_. It will be less painful if you just follow us. Believe me. You won’t have to worry about a thing if you follow us… We can even arrange Jacob to come back to us if we want to… Just for you.”

Who would be out there to save you? There was no one here. You were on your own, caught off guard.

 

“Come with us, _Y/N_. It will make things a lot easier for you and everyone here in the castle.” One man approached you. “We won’t hurt you.”

You took a step back, but that only made you get closer to another man.

You were done for, you were certain of it. You were going to get caught by R and you weren’t even able to fight back. This was definitely the worst situation to be in right now. You should never have left the Great Hall on your own. You should have told someone you were leaving. No one would be there to save you now. You walked into a trap you have seen coming weeks before it actually happened.

“Don’t worry about what is going to happen. We will take good care of you as long as you provide us with useful visions.”

That didn’t sound reassuring at all. You definitely didn’t want to go anywhere with these people. You glanced at your wand, wondering if there was an opportunity to grab it without being hit by any spells.

 

“ _Depulso_!”

Someone had knocked the man that approached you away from you. You looked at the direction the spell came from. You saw Madam Rakepick pointing her wand at the group. She seemed to hint at you to grab your wand, seeing the enemy was distracted.

You immediately ducked down and grabbed your wand. You needed to remain calm and help to fight off R like Rakepick was trying to do.

However, R had other plans. It was like they knew more people would come this way and they quickly used a spell to get away from the scene.

Rakepick wasn’t just going to let them go and she looked at you. “Get back to the Great Hall, you will be safer there.” She said seriously.

“What the hell, _Y/L/N_!”

You turned around and saw Merula standing there. Rakepick probably asked her to follow her.

“What were you thinking? You can’t just disappear like that! Especially when you have had that vision.” Merula said.

It didn’t take long before Bill had been running up to you and Merula as well. “Is everything all right? What happened?”

“R happened.” Merula simply stated. “It was lucky Rakepick saw _Y/N_ , otherwise she would have been taken away by R.”

 

“You need to be more careful, _Y/N_ …” Bill said when he and Merula guided you back towards the Great Hall. “What if they actually caught you?”

“We would be in a lot of trouble if you got caught.” Merula muttered. “They would use you to find the Last Vault and perhaps use you for even worse things.”

“I’m sorry…” You mumbled. “I just wasn’t thinking when I left…”

“Why did you leave anyways?” Bill decided to ask. “Did something happen between you and Barnaby?”

“I think I bothered him…” You mumbled. “He seemed to be annoyed by something and then he decided to go away somewhere…”

“You? Bothering him? You must be joking!” Merula said with a laugh.

“What? I have a horrible friend to him lately!” You yelled, feeling frustrated. “I have been horrible to everyone. Of course he would be done with it at one point!”

Bill blinked in confusion. “A horrible friend? What are you talking about?”

“You are all being so bloody nice to me and I’m being a terrible friend who can’t show any appreciation for it.” You muttered, running your hands through your hair.

“Wow… Calm down, _Y/L/N_ …” Merula said, looking slightly concerned.

“I’m messing everything up for everyone…! I don’t… I don’t deserve friends like you…” You felt like you were about to break down.

 

“ _Y/N_!”

You could recognise that voice immediately. You bit your lip and looked down at your feet.

“ _Y/N_ …?” His voice was soft, but you didn’t dare to look him into his eyes.

“She is not in the best mood right now, Barnaby…” Merula said seriously.

“What happened?” He asked, feeling concerned.

“She got cornered by R.” Bill explained. “Rakepick is trying to find them. I think she might have alerted some other teachers as well… Some seemed to leaving the Celestial Ball once Rakepick left.”

Barnaby frowned. “Are they still in the castle?”

“We have no idea… They could be anywhere by now.” Merula said seriously.

“It’s probably for the best to be close to the Great Hall for now… There are enough people here. They wouldn’t attack here.” Bill said honestly.

‘ _It will make things a lot easier for you and everyone here in the castle._ ’

You wondered if they were also prepared for this to happen… Maybe that’s what they meant when they said that one sentence. Maybe you caused a more dangerous situation by not going with them. Maybe they would cause more problems for everyone…!

 

You flinched when Barnaby tried to hold your hand and you jumped back. Your eyes met Barnaby’s for a moment. You quickly looked away though. You were feeling absolutely terrible and you didn’t want his pity. You were certain your friendship with him was over the moment he walked away from you. Then R tried to take you…. Everything was becoming too much and you couldn’t stop the tears that were forming in your eyes.

“ _Y/N_ …” Barnaby said, sounding even more concerned.

You could tell he moved closer to you and you shook your head. “Don’t touch me…!”

Bill and Merula were feeling slightly uneasy. They didn’t know what they could do to help out and they gave Barnaby a look, like they were asking him if they should leave the two of you alone for now.

Barnaby looked at them and nodded. Then he looked at you again and once again tried to get closer to you.

“I said don’t touch me…!” You yelled again, turning your back to him.

“I’m not going to touch you.” He said calmly. “I just want to talk with you…”

“W-what is there to talk about…? I bloody annoyed you and you probably don’t want anything to do with me anymore…!”

 

“What?” He was getting really confused. “What gave you that idea?”

You turned around to face him, not caring about letting him see you cry anymore. “You didn’t want to talk to me and walked away, I must have done something that has caused that…!”

“You are misunderstanding the situation…” He said seriously.

“Misunderstanding the situation? What is there to misunderstand?” You yelled. “You must have given me too many chances to stay friends with you and I’m ruining everything!”

“No…! You are not ruining anything…!” He said seriously. “I wasn’t annoyed because of you, I was annoyed with myself.”

“Yeah right…” You mumbled, looking down at your feet.

“I was annoyed, because I can’t seem to be able to tell you something I wanted to tell you for quite a while now.” He said softly.

“That you don’t want to be friends with me anymore because I’m a terrible person…” You muttered.

“Stop saying those things.” He said almost angrily. “You are not a terrible person.”

“But you don’t want to be friends with me anymore, that’s it, right?”

“Well… In a certain way…”

You were ready to turn around again.

He stopped you from walking away, grabbing your shoulder gently. “Sorry, I said I wouldn’t touch you, but you need to let me finish!”

 

“I wanted to wait for the right moment. For Merlin’s sake, you nearly got taken away by R and here I am going to tell you something you probably don’t want to hear at all.” Barnaby mumbled softly.

You looked at him, tears still visible. The least thing you could do was listening to what he wanted to tell you.

“You are sort of right about the fact I don’t want to be your friend anymore… Not because I don’t like you, it’s because I like you a lot.” He said, blushing slightly.

You blinked a little. “Sorry… What?” You got a little lost when he said that.

Barnaby took a deep breath and then he grabbed your hands. “I fancy you, _Y/N_. That’s why being friends with you is getting sort of difficult.”

You stared at him with wide eyes and let his words sink in.

 _He actually fancies you_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I talked about the Yule Ball in the story, but I have changed it into the Celestial Ball since it was an actual event in the game.


	9. Chapter 9

“You… you fancy _me_?” You asked Barnaby, staring at him with wide eyes.

Here you were, standing with Barnaby, who just confessed he fancied you. What else was going to happen during this evening? Your heart was racing at this point!

The Celestial Ball seemed to have a good beginning, although Barnaby’s behaviour during the Celestial Ball made you doubt everything. Then you tried to get back to your dormitory, thinking you had ruined your friendship with him, only to be attacked by R. Sure, you had seen it coming, but the vision never told you when it was supposed to happen. You also didn’t expect them to attack during the Celestial Ball. If it wasn’t for Rakepick, you would have been taken away with ease. You were escorted back towards the Great Hall by Merula and Bill just before Barnaby had come over to you.

That all led to the situation you were in right now. Hearing Barnaby confess he fancies you was the last thing you expected. You were certain he would be done with you after everything you did. You didn’t feel like you had been a good friend to anyone after Jacob’s trial. You didn’t feel like you were the same person anymore.

Still, you and Barnaby talked to each other about almost everything. You could basically tell him everything about your relationship with your relatives, just like he did about his relatives. You never felt uneasy around Barnaby. Although, you had been feeling more nervous around him. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was like your friendship with Barnaby was changing into something else. It scared you a bit to be honest, because you didn’t know what it meant.

 

“Yes, I really fancy you.” Barnaby said, blushing a lot when he once again told you how he felt about you.

You were still staring at him, almost in disbelief. Hearing him say he fancied you for the second time made you feel slightly dizzy. You wondered if this evening had become too much for you. You didn’t seem to be able to process everything that happened this evening.

“ _Y/N_?” He was concerned, noticing you weren’t saying anything back to him.

You were just staring at him and he was worried if he had made a mistake by confessing to you now.

“Hey…!” His eyes widened a bit. He knew exactly what was happening to you when your eyes seemed to roll back: you were about to faint. He was able to catch you, because he was standing close to you. It didn’t take long before you opened your eyes again. He lifted you up, carrying you somewhere you could sit down. Once you sat down, he knelt down in front of you.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…” You mumbled softly, giving him a weak smile.

“Don’t worry about it.” He said softly, gently holding your hand. “I should be the one who should be sorry.”

 

“Why?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… Telling you how I feel about you was probably a bit too much for you…” Barnaby gave you a sheepish grin.

“It mostly confused me to be honest… I’m still a bit confused.”

“You know you don’t have to tell me how you feel about me.” Barnaby said honestly. “I just needed to explain to you what was going on, before you thought I didn’t want to do anything with you anymore.”

You rubbed your temples a little. “Well, it was probably the only way to get through me at that point…”

“That wasn’t exactly your fault. You were distressed, because of what happened.”

“Even though it was not my fault, I don’t think you could have done anything else to make me believe you still wanted to have me around.”

He squeezed your hand slightly, giving you a small smile. “I’m glad I could convince you, because not wanting you around is the opposite of what I want.”

You gave him a small smile back. You were honestly glad he still wanted you around, but knowing he fancied you changed things a little. You knew you were feeling something for Barnaby, but how strong were those feelings? Besides, would these feelings for him be dangerous? If R would find out, would they use these feelings against you? What if they hurt him? You didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

 

“Are you all right?” Barnaby asked concerned. He noticed a frown appeared on your face soon after you gave him a smile. He was certain you were thinking about something.

“I’m okay.” You told him. “I was just thinking about something…”

“About what?”

“About us.” You said, trying to be straightforward with him. “Now you have told me how you feel about me, what does that make us?”

“We could be whatever you like.” He said honestly. “Look, if you’d rather be friends with me, then that’s fine too. Just because I like you, doesn’t mean you have to like me back.”

“I understand what you mean.” You mumbled. “It’s just that I’m a bit confused and I can’t think really straight at this moment.”

“It’s fine to be confused, I’m confused a lot of times.” He kept his eyes on you. “You might also be recovering from fainting.”

“Yeah, I’m probably still recovering from fainting… I’m feeling quite fuzzy and tired.” You said softly before you let out a small sigh.

“I would bring you to your Common Room, but since Rakepick told you to wait nearby the Great Hall I should probably wait before she thinks it is safe.” He said honestly, frowning slightly. “Is there anything I could do for you?”

“Having you around is good enough.” You said softly. “There is not much you could do about it anyways.”

 

Barnaby decided to sit down next to you and looked at you. “Normally, I would just wrap an arm around you, but I don’t want to make things weird between us…” He mumbled, blushing slightly.

You blushed slightly as well. “It’s fine. I think I might need it.”

He blinked slightly, but didn’t question you. He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you slightly closer to him.

You remembered him trying to figure out what else he could say to you and ended up talking about Nifflers, trying to keep your mind off things. You also remembered you were slowly falling asleep in his arms.

Once you woke up, Rowan told you Rakepick said it was safe for you to get back to your dormitory if you wanted to. You nodded to her and decided to go back to the dormitory with her. You had glanced back at Barnaby one more time until you weren’t able to see him anymore.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, when are we going on a double date?”

You rolled your eyes when Tulip asked you the question for the third time that day. “Tulip, Barnaby and I aren’t together.”

“Not yet.” She said with a smirk.

“I have told you why.” You mumbled softly, frowning slightly.

“Because you are scared what R is going to do?” She shook her head slightly. “Even if you are not together with him, they will figure out he is important to you. Besides, if something happens to him you might be able to foresee it.”

You ran a hand through your hair. “I’d rather don’t see a terrible vision involving him…”

“You already had one about Bill… I don’t think you can stop these visions if they target us.” Tulip said honestly. “You should try to at least have some fun and be surrounded by people who like you. R probably wants you to be miserable, scared and alone.”

Tulip had a point. R probably wanted you to be miserable, scared and alone, because you would be an easy target in these conditions. You were stronger with your friends around, people who cared about you. The people you cared about…

“Try not to live in fear. You need to enjoy your life, you know? _Carpe diem_!” She grinned. “Besides, your crush on him is getting more and more noticeable each day.”

“I know…”

 

“Wow, you finally admitted you fancy Barnaby too.” Tulip chuckled. “So, I suppose that means a double date would be possible soon.”

“I don’t know if I want to be there when you keep snogging Merula.” You mumbled amused.

“Hey!” Tulip blushed. “We don’t snog in public… Maybe a small kiss, but we don’t like public display of affection.”

“You seemed to be ready to snog each other during the Celestial Ball.”

“That’s different… Besides, everyone was too busy with their own dates to notice anything…”

You laughed softly. “I can’t believe I managed to fluster you about this.”

“Oh, shut it.” Tulip rolled her eyes. “Although, I have to admit, you did a good job at teasing me for once.”

“Thanks, I have picked up a lot from you and Tonks over the years.”

“Maybe Tonks and I have to pick up our game. Then again, I’d rather focus on pulling off even bigger pranks with Tonks.”

“I’m pretty sure you are a lot better at teasing Merula than your friends. I mean, you probably know a lot more about her than you used to.”

Tulip laughed softly. “I have learnt quite some things about Merula since we started going out. Although, there is probably a lot more to learn about her. We haven’t been dating very long after all.”

 

“And what are you going to tease me about, Tulip?”

Tulip jumped slightly and turned around quickly.

Merula stood there, smirking at her girlfriend. “Well? Is there something you have learnt about me you want to tease me about?”

Tulip blushed slightly, but tried to smirk as well. “Maybe, but you will figure it out when I’m going to tease you about it.”

“Oh really? Because I have learnt some little things about you as well and I think I would be able to tease you about these things too.”

You grinned. “It sounds like you actually need to pick up your game after all, Tulip. Merula seems to be a step ahead of you.”

“What? No way!” Tulip mumbled, huffing softly. “That’s what Merula wants everyone to think.”

“ _Y/N_ seems to understand how things are truly going here.” Merula chuckled.

“I can’t believe you picked Merula’s side…” Tulip mumbled, shaking her head. She was slightly amused about this though, even though Merula managed to fluster her.

“I didn’t take anyone’s side, I just made a quick observation.” You said amused.

“To think I wanted to go on a double date with you.” Tulip chuckled.

Merula rolled her eyes. “ _Really_ , Tulip?”

“What? It could be fun.” Tulip smirked.

 

“How many times has she mentioned this double date to you?” Merula asked with a sigh.

“Today, I think she mentioned it three times.” You said honestly.

“Really, Tulip… You know Barnaby and _Y/N_ aren’t dating.” Merula muttered.

“No, they aren’t dating _yet_.” Tulip smirked.

Merula groaned softly and then she looked at you. “She is going to make me go mad one day.”

“Aw, but I know you love me for it.” Tulip winked at her.

Merula once again rolled her eyes and then she looked at you again. “I can I steal her from you?”

“Go ahead.” You said amused.

“You don’t need to steal me away from anyone though. I’d gladly go along with you.” Tulip grinned.

“Just come along with me, silly prankster.” Merula mumbled when she took Tulip’s hand and began walking away.

Tulip glanced at you with a smirk on her face before she turned to Merula and began chatting with her. These two seemed to get closer each time you saw them together. It was quite obvious how much they liked each other.

It made you wonder if you would ever be like that when you were in an actual relationship. You knew you had feelings for Barnaby, but you were afraid about how things would go. Not just because R was out there, but also because you didn’t want to lose him. You were scared everything would be ruined between you two if you decided to break off the relationship…

Still, the way things between you and Barnaby were going now wasn’t pleasant either. It was pretty awkward and you two often didn’t know what to say to each other besides greeting each other.

 

Maybe you needed to give it a chance?

 

* * *

 

 

You had been looking for Barnaby, only to stop yourself from getting too close to him. Some girls seemed to be surrounding him and you didn’t know what you should to think about it. It irritated you and you had the urge to just pull him away from them. It was the same feeling you had when Ismelda was talking to him. Were you actually jealous?

You shook your head, knowing it was stupid. Why would you be jealous? It wasn’t like Barnaby was flirting with these girls. They weren’t doing anything inappropriate either, so there was no reason why you should feel jealous.

These feelings were more complicated than you thought they were. You wondered if you should walk over to him and perhaps ask you if he wanted to talk with you later. Although, you weren’t sure if the timing to walk over to him was right. Maybe you needed to wait until he was alone. You sighed softly, before turning around. Things wouldn't be so complicated if you just said something to Barnaby before. The fear of ruining things between the two of you was back. You knew he fancied you, which meant he didn’t hate you. However, he has been such a great friend and if things go wrong you might lose it all.

 

You bit your lip slightly before you began walking away, thinking about going to Jacob’s study. Maybe looking for clues or counter-curses would clear your head a bit. Or maybe you should just go back to your dormitory and start studying for your O.W.L.s like most people in your year did. You frowned slightly, wondering if you would even be able to focus on anything right now.

“Hey _Y/N_.”

You blinked, noticing Penny walked up to you. “Oh, hey Penny.”

“Are you okay? You seemed to be frowning a bit.” She pointed out, tilting her head slightly.

“I’m fine…” You sighed. “I just was thinking about ways to clear my mind.”

“Why do you need to clear your mind?”

“I was thinking about something…” You mumbled, blushing a bit.

Penny stared at you for a little while before she giggled. “Don’t you mean _someone_?”

You groaned softly, shaking your head slightly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. I mean, I think it is sweet you like him too.” She said honestly. “Were you looking for him?”

“I was, but he seemed to be busy.” You mumbled softly.

“I’m sure he would be fine with it if you would come over to him.”

You glanced back, seeing Barnaby was still surrounded by girls.

 

“I still think he would be fine with you coming over to him.” Penny said honestly. “He told you he fancies you, so he would probably be happy if you want to talk with him.”

You sighed. “Maybe, but things are slightly more awkward between us since he confessed… And I haven’t given him an answer yet.”

“Well, what were you planning to talk about with him if he wasn’t surrounded by other people?”

“I… Well… I wanted to talk about what to do next…”

Penny grinned. “So, you were planning to talk about your feelings for him, right?”

“Maybe…” You mumbled, blushing a bit. “I should be focussed on the Vaults, finding a counter-curse and how to deal with R if they strike again, but I can’t focus on anything right now…!”

“I know you want to focus on those things, but you can’t just keep fighting your feelings. Besides, if you are going to work on the Vaults and the counter-curse, you should ask others for help too. You can’t just keep working alone.”

“I just don’t want to endanger anyone…”

“Because of what could have happened to Bill?”

“The visions are one of the reasons why… but I’m their target. They might target you as well if you help me.”

“That doesn’t stop us from helping you. I definitely won’t stop helping you. Beatrice is still stuck in the painting and I want to help her to get out of there.” Penny said seriously.

 

You knew you couldn’t stop your friends from helping out with the Cursed Vaults. Everyone had their own reasons to help. Penny had a good reason to keep looking for the Vaults. Her little sister was still trapped and she wanted to figure out as well how to save her and the other students.

You only hoped nothing bad would happen to them. After finding Jacob, you didn’t want your other friends to become as lost as he did. You’d rather sacrifice yourself than let them die or go completely mad. You always felt like it was your fault for starting all this, but it was Jacob who had started it all. If he never had been looking for the Vaults, you wouldn’t be in this situation. Things would have gone differently. You might have been in no trouble at all… Still, you knew you probably wouldn’t have the same friends you have now. You might have had a completely different life.

Some good things happened while looking for the Vaults, you were certain of that. You had a group of friends you could definitely rely on. However, things have become more dangerous lately. R was out there, waiting for you… You have got this far and you weren’t planning to give up now. Alone, you would be weak. Together with your friends, you would be stronger.

 

“You are right. I can’t do this all on my own. I wish I could, but I can’t.” You said softly. “I need your help in order to defeat R and stop the curses that are placed on the Vaults.” You said honestly.

“We are always there to help you, _Y/N_. If we find all the Vaults and break the curses, everyone in the school would be safe again.” Penny said seriously. “R might be our biggest problem, but I’m sure we will be able to find a way to defeat them.”

“Let’s hope everything will turn out to be okay.”

 

* * *

 

 

“It has been a while since we have worked together, _Y/N_.” Liz said when you two were gathering supplies during Care of Magical Creatures.

“Yeah, it sure has been a while.” You said honestly, feeling somewhat comfortable.

“You probably felt like you could concentrate more if you worked with me, right?” Liz gave you a small grin.

“What?” You tilted your head slightly in confusion.

“Well, it is obvious you were nervous earlier.” She chuckled softly. “I saw you avoiding Barnaby’s gaze.”

“Do you think he noticed?” You asked softly before you bit your lip slightly.

“I think so. In a matter of fact, he is looking at you right now.”

You blinked and looked at Barnaby. Your eyes definitely met each other and you both looked away as quickly as possible.

Liz was slightly amused. “It seems like you and Barnaby have a lot to talk about.”

Liz was right, you did have a lot to talk about with Barnaby. You began blushing and started focussing on gathering the supplies again.

“When was the last time you spoke to him?”

“This morning.” You mumbled softly.

“I mean a real conversation, not just hello and goodbye.” Liz definitely wasn’t stupid. She had seen how you have been avoiding him when people were around him.

 

“I haven’t had the chance to really talk to him.” You admitted softly. “I want to talk to him alone… I don’t want to bother him.”

Liz sighed softly. “I think he would really appreciate it if you go talk to him. He definitely wouldn’t think it is a bother if you ask him to talk with you in private.”

Maybe you were just making up excuses to avoid a conversation with Barnaby. You could have spoken to him if you really wanted to, but you were too nervous to actually talk to him. “Maybe I have to talk to him later today…”

“That’s good.” Liz said honestly. “To be honest, I was worried you would keep avoiding him… He doesn’t seem to be handling it well when you avoid him.”

You were confused when Liz told you Barnaby didn’t seem to be handling it well when you avoided him. “What do you mean?”

Liz looked serious when you asked that. “Look, Barnaby and I are good friends, and I might have heard some things about the situation…” She began. “He’s having a hard time, thinking he has messed things up between you two because he told you about his feelings. He also seemed to be troubled by something else…”

 

You hadn’t really considered Barnaby was having such a hard time… You had a sinking feeling, like you were already too late to talk to him.

“ _Y/N_?” said Liz softly, wondering if she did the right thing by telling you Barnaby was having a hard time.

You slowly began feeling like you were feeling before Barnaby told you how he felt about you, thinking you have been waiting too long to talk to him. You felt like you had left him hanging, knowing you have been a terrible friend… The sinking feeling slowly became worse, making you nauseous.

“I’m sorry… I know you have a lot on your mind and I probably shouldn’t have said anything about it… It’s just that I’m getting a little worried about Barnaby…” Liz looked slightly panicked when she noticed you weren’t taking this well. “ _Y/N_ , it will be fine. Just talk to Barnaby soon.”

“What if I’m too late…? I have been avoiding him for a week…!” You whispered to Liz.

“I’m sure he will understand if he knows you have been nervous… I think he kind of knows you are, but he is just doubting himself a little.”

You ran a hand through your hair, feeling like you were about to hyperventilate.

Liz put a hand on your shoulder. “Try to stay calm… Trust me, things will be going all right if you talk to him.” She tried to reassure you.

 

“He is worried about you.” Liz said softly to you. “If you were too late, he would probably not keep an eye on you like that.”

You were almost too afraid to look at Barnaby right now. You were getting more worried about talking to him.

“Okay, I understand you are even more nervous now… But it will only get harder if you keep avoiding him.”

You took a deep breath and tried to look at Barnaby for a moment. He seemed to be focussing with Charlie on the assignment given by Kettleburn. He glanced at you though, looking concerned.

“You see? He is just worried, not angry at you.” Liz said with a small smile. “Believe me, it will be okay.”

You really wanted to believe Liz, but you still were worried about it all. Talking to him was definitely going to be hard, especially when you knew he was having a hard time.

 

Once class was over, you were softly nudged by Liz. She gave you a small smile before she mouthed ‘ _go’_ to you.

You noticed Barnaby was about to leave the class with Charlie. You kind of wanted to back out, seeing the two were chatting with each other.

Liz gave you another look, like she was saying you shouldn’t run away from it. She managed to convince you though.

You took a deep breath and then you made your way over to Barnaby, gently tapping his shoulder. “Barnaby?”

Barnaby turned to you and blinked. “Oh, _Y/N_. What’s up?”

“Can… Can we talk?” You mumbled softly, blushing slightly.

Charlie looked at both of you and then he grinned slightly. “We talk about this another time, Barnaby.” He said before he left.

Barnaby nodded to Charlie before he looked at you again. “You want to talk?”

You nodded slightly. “Could we go somewhere more private…?”

 

* * *

 

 

“You want to talk about what happened at the Yule Ball, is that right?” Barnaby asked when he closed the door to Jacob’s study behind him.

“Not only about that, I also want to talk about some other things…” You said softly, biting your lip slightly.

“Are you all right? You are shaking a little…” He pointed out.

“I’m fine, don’t worry…” You said softly before you sat down on the couch in the study. You waited for him to join you, thinking it would be more comfortable for the both of you to sit down.

He sat down next to you and looked at you. “I’m a little surprised you wanted to talk to me. We haven’t talked in a while since I have told you.” He frowned slightly when he said that.

“I know and I’m sorry about that… I-it’s not like I wanted to avoid you, but I didn’t really have the courage to talk to you.” You blushed slightly.

“What I have told you must have caught you off guard… So, I suppose you needed time to let it sort of sink in.” He said softly. “Although, you kind of made me worried…”

“Because you thought you messed things up between us?”

“Well… Yes. Also, because you didn’t seem to be very happy lately.”

 

“I’m sorry…” You said softly, looking down a little. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I understand you needed some time.” Barnaby said honestly, however, he was still frowning a little. “I knew the timing was awful, I wanted to tell you when we were both more comfortable…”

“No, the way I acted was awful… I basically forced you to tell me…”

“You couldn’t help it… The situation forced me to tell you. You were just very stressed out when I tried to talk to you.”

“It doesn’t make up the fact I have been avoiding you…” You said honestly. “I haven’t been really considerate.”

Barnaby raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Liz told me you were having a hard time and as one of your best friends I feel terrible for not being there for you.”

“What has Liz told you?” He asked, frowning slightly.

“You were having a hard time handling the fact I was avoiding you… She also said something else seemed to be going on, but she didn’t say what.” You said softly.

Barnaby looked slightly relieved. “There were some things going on, but don’t worry about it.”

 

“It was about your family, right?” You said, knowing Barnaby quite well.

Barnaby slightly glanced away. “It’s fine… I managed to deal with it.”

You gently took his hand, squeezing it lightly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to listen to you when you needed me.”

He looked at you again and gave you a small smile. “It’s okay… I know you would have been there to listen to me if the situation was different.”

You frowned slightly. “If I hadn’t been a terrible friend before then I’m definitely one now…”

“Will you stop calling yourself terrible?” Barnaby muttered, not liking it when you kept putting yourself down. “You were confused and you needed time to think, there is nothing terrible about that.”

“You are too nice…” You said softly, sighing. “It’s not making things easy right now.”

“You call it too nice, I just call it honesty.”

“I just don’t get it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What don’t you get?”

“I don’t really understand you.” You looked him into the eyes.

He was confused, not sure what you meant with it. “What don’t you understand about me? I’m pretty sure I’m not a very complicated person.”

“Why do you fancy me?”

 

Barnaby was caught off guard by your question. “You want to know why I fancy you?”

You nodded, looking quite serious about it. “I don’t understand why you fancy me when I’m clearly not the most stable person.”

He groaned softly, not sure how to answer this. “Do I really need to explain to you why I fancy you?”

You nodded slightly. “Please?”

He sighed softly, blushing slightly. “It’s not like it happened immediately, you know? I noticed my feelings for you were growing since last year…”

“But I’m not sure if I’m the same like last year…”

“You haven’t changed that much.” He said honestly. “Look, you seem to understand me and try to be there for me when things at home aren’t too great. You make me feel comfortable enough to tell you about my life at home. Actually, I can talk to you about almost everything.”

“You also understand how things are going at my home and you have been there for me as well.”

“You also have been really kind to me and supported me.” He gave you a small smile. “The more time I spend with you, the more I want to protect you and make you smile.”

 

“Does that kind of explain why I fancy you?” Barnaby asked, gently placing his hand against your cheek.

You nodded, blushing a lot. You were flattered he liked you so much.

“So… Could you tell me how you feel about me?” He was blushing when he asked you that.

You moved yourself closer to him. “You have been making me feel kind of strange for a while.”

He was slightly confused. “I have been making you feel strange…?”

“It took me a while to realise what these strange feelings were to be honest… I also have been quite worried how it would change our relation with each other.” You told him honestly, moving a little closer again.

“We will be whatever you want us to be, I have told you that before.” He said, blushing slightly more when he realised how close you were to him.

“I was also worried how this would endanger you… R might target you because of my feelings for you.”

“Your feelings for me? Does that mean-”

You gently pressed your lips against his, not letting him finish his sentence. Once you pulled away, you bit your lip slightly. “Does that answer your question…?”

Instead of answering you, he held you closer to him and pulled you into another kiss.

 

* * *

 

You and Barnaby had walked into the Great Hall together. You noticed people were slowly beginning to stare at you two. They seemed to notice something new…

“Hey, is that what I think it is?” Tulip said, smirking a lot when she looked at you.

Andre blinked and then he looked at your direction as well. “Merlin’s beard! It finally happened!” He said, seeing you were holding hands with Barnaby.

“This means we definitely can go on this double date.” Tulip said with a wink.

Barnaby became confused, looking at you like he was asking what Tulip was talking about.

Merula rolled her eyes. “Just ignore her.”

Tulip chuckled, looking very amused at Merula.

“Congratulations, although it took a lot longer than I expected you to get together.” Andre said with a grin.

Penny elbowed Andre lightly. “Hey, cut them some slack.”

“I was just saying what I thought about the situation, nothing really bad.” Andre said honestly.

“It’s fine, Andre.” You said with a smile before you joined your friends at the table they were sitting.

Barnaby sat down next to you, feeling great. “I think you might have seen the situation differently than I did, Andre.”

“It kind of turned into something more complicated than it should have been.” Andre said, shaking his head slightly.

“It doesn’t matter, they are together and that’s what counts.” Merula said with a shrug.

 

“Be aware of the rumours that will be spread around the school.” Merula pointed out to you and Barnaby. “Students were quite _creative_ when they heard about my relationship with Tulip.”

“Yeah, some people have said some nasty things.” Tulip said honestly. “Although, I knew the rumours were false so I wasn’t too bothered by them.”

“Like I said, they were quite creative…” Merula rolled her eyes.

“Well, they can’t be much worse than the rumours that were made up when people found out I was a Seer.” You said honestly.

“The only rumours I dealt with were rumours about how I would become a Death Eater just like my parents.” Barnaby said honestly.

“Oh, don’t remind me… Those accusations were terrible.” Merula muttered.

“Anyways, I’m pretty sure you two would know how to deal with these rumours about your relationship.” Tulip said, trying to make them stop thinking about the bad rumours that were made up about her friends and girlfriend.

“It should be all right.” You said, thinking it would be going all right as long as you knew the rumours were false.

“As long as they don’t harm _Y/N_ , I think I can ignore them for most part.” Barnaby said honestly.

Merula shook her head. “Keep an eye on him, _Y/N_ , because he will actually fight…”

 

* * *

 

 

_“Jacob, it seems like things are going quite all right here, don’t you think so?” Said a man next to Jacob’s bed in St. Mungo’s._

_“Y…You!” Jacob said, looking afraid._

_“You know you can’t leave us yet, Jacob. You are a part of us and we need you to get your sister.”_

_“…. No”_

_“You know resisting us won’t help… You belong to us and your sister will follow your footsteps soon… It will be easier for her if she has you around, don’t you think so?”_

_“….”_

_“We are quite aware of what is happening with your sister… She is in love. I’m wondering how far she would go to save her boyfriend. We think she would already go far if we involve her friends some more. Don’t you agree?”_

_“Don’t…”_

_“You can’t do anything about it… You can barely speak without our guidance, but don’t worry… We will come and get you in a few days. You will be able to do a lot more than just lying around in this hospital bed.”_

 

You shot up awake and frowned. Jacob was in trouble and you were afraid this would cause a lot more problems. If R succeeded to capture Jacob again, what would happen next?


End file.
